Smiling
by MaryMcdonnellfan
Summary: Six months after a reason to smile finished, Laura and Bill are navigating their way through life with three children and their ever changing responsibilities.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you to Berenakiss2, AdamaGirl, dinki66, nexis44, ozzlover, walkerdude1 and the guest for reviewing the last chapter of a reason to smile, I hope you all like the sequel just as much.

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

8th October

"Mama, Mama, Dada, out" Laura heard Katie call through the baby monitor. Rolling over she looked at the time, 6:30am and sighed knowing that Katie wouldn't go back to sleep now. Yawing she turned towards Bill and smiled, he was out like a light, still looking rumpled from last night's activities, they were getting too old to stay up to the early hours of the morning, but she definitely didn't regret it and they'd certainly stay up late again.

"Hi pumpkin" Laura said as she walked into Katie's room, a smile on her face.

"Mama" Katie squealed in reply lifting her arms up towards Laura from where she was standing in her crib.

"Oh someone is smelly" Laura said lifting Katie and quickly changing her nappy.

"Let's go see Daddy" Laura said excitedly, picking up the little girl and heading back to her room.

"Dada Dada Dada" Katie happily repeated upon seeing her father, holing her arms out towards him, a large grin on her face.

"Hey my little princess" Bill said sitting up against the headboard and taking the little girl, peppering kisses over her face.

"Dada" she replied enthusiastically wrapping her little arms around his neck, and placing a wet kiss on his cheek.

"I can't believe she's one today, it doesn't seem like it's been a year since I gave birth to this little wonder" Laura said running her hand softly over Katie's strawberry blonde hair.

"I know, my little girl's growing up too quickly" Bill replied looking down at Katie, who had her head resting on Bill's chest.

"Before we know it she's going to want to wear makeup and hang out with boys" Laura said a little shocked at the thought.

"As long as she doesn't date those boys, and stays at home until she's 30, I'm okay with that" Bill replied slightly seriously.

"Oh, Daddy's going to be wreck when you get older" Laura said chuckling, before adding" but for now you're going to have a fun day, aren't you".

"Mamamama" Katie squealed in reply, grinning and crawling from Bill over to Laura.

"Come on, let's go have some breakfast, and your Daddy can go tell the boys it's time for breakfast" Laura said lifting up Katie.

* * *

"Do you want some cheerio's?" Laura asked excitedly, placing Katie in her high chair.

"Ya" Katie replied, banging her hands on the high chair tray.

"Here you go" Laura said, placing a large handful of cheerios in front of Katie, and watching as she picked them up in her pudgy little fingers, focusing hard to ensure they reached her mouth safely.

"Hey Mom" Lee said as he walked with his brother and father into the kitchen.

"Hi buddy, how are you today?" Laura asked ruffling his hair, as he walked by her towards the pantry.

"Alright, Galen told me he's going to bring over his new pyramid ball, it's the newest release by the buccaneers, so I'm excited to play with it" Lee replied excitedly, grabbing a bowl out of the cupboard.

"Hi Mommy" Zak said running over to give her a hug, before looking up at her with puppy dog eyes and asking "can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Not today bub, we're going to be having a lot of sweet food for Katie's Birthday today, how about I make you some eggs instead?" Laura offered.

"Okay, can you poach them for me, so they're really runny?" Zak replied.

"Sure, do you want some eggs to honey?" Laura asked Bill, as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Sure, sounds great" Bill replied turning her around slightly to kiss her softly.

"Ewwww" Zak and Lee chorused together.

"Can you not, while I'm trying to eat" Lee replied, grabbing a spoon and taking his cereal to the table.

"Oh dear" Laura said chuckling, "they're definitely growing up".

* * *

"Look at you, you look adorable" Evelyn said as she walked into the kitchen, to where Laura and Katie were sitting at the dining room table, playing with her new musical activity train.

"You got a new dress just for your birthday, didn't you" Laura replied, smiling down at Katie who was wearing a pink sleeveless cotton dress, with a tulle skirt.

"Well it looks fantastic on her" Evelyn said picking up Katie who began cooing at her grandmother excitedly.

"How was the drive, was there much traffic?" Laura asked placing the toy away in Katie's toy chest.

"It was pretty good, just some minor build up in the city, so everyone should be able to make it to the party without any trouble" Evelyn told Laura, knowing she was worried that the recent roadworks, which were causing havoc in Caprica City, were going to affect Katie's friends from arriving.

After seeing how much Katie enjoyed bath time, when the little girl was seven months old, Laura enrolled the two of them in a Moms and bubs swimming class. Katie immediately took like a duck to water and made a couple of friends, a little girl called Ella and a little boy called Samuel. The trio often had play dates outside of the swimming class, and Laura had become close friends with the mother's as well, even going out for dinners by themselves, while the husbands took care of the children.

"Okay that's good" Laura replied, still a bit nervous about her daughters first birthday going well.

"We're here" Saul said walking into the kitchen carrying a large elegantly wrapped present, Ellen waddling close behind.

"How are you feeling?" Laura asked Ellen who was now 34 weeks pregnant.

"Like a beached whale" Ellen replied pouting, "I'm definitely getting to the stage where I'm ready to pop the kid out".

"I know the feeling, but enjoy the quiet time you have at the moment, because it's never going to be the same again" Laura said grinning.

* * *

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Katie, Happy Birthday to you" the group sand as Laura brought out a one shaped cake and placed it in front of Katie who was sitting on Bill's lap.

"Hip, hip hooray….hip, hip hooray".

"Blow the candle out" Bill told Katie leaning forward and helping her extinguish the flame, before everybody clapped, and Katie beamed proudly. Laura quickly cut the cake into enough pieces for everybody, and presented Katie with her slice.

Katie's eyes grew wide at the sight of the cake and she tentatively reach a hand out, grabbing a fist full and bringing it to her mouth. "Is that yummy?" Bill asked smiling, as a satisfied grin graced her face.

"Ya" Katie replied reaching out for more cake, as Laura took a picture of the moment. By the time Katie had finished her slice, there was probably about as much cake on her face as in her stomach, but the little girl was happy and everyone else enjoyed the cake nearly as much as her.

"Time for presents" Evelyn said excitedly lifting Katie and placing her on the living room floor next to her two friends, between her father's legs, while Laura placed the paper plates in the bin.

"This is from Grandma and Grandpa" Joseph said placing the present in front of Katie, who immediately attempted to rip the wrapping paper. With some help from her father, she found a wooden walker with sliding beads at the front and 24 lettered and numbered blocks inside.

"Here you go sweetie" Ellen said handing her a bucket, full of 10 multi-coloured shapes, which she could empty out and then try to put back in through the correct holes.

30 minutes later Katie was surrounded by presents, excitedly looking from item to item. Ella brought Katie a pop-up farm animals game, and Samuel gave Katie some Winnie the Pooh themed bath toys. Katie also received a baby doll from Marcy, a toy xylophone from Elosha, clothes from Abigail and Larry, and a toy phone from Cheryl and David.

* * *

"I think today went well" Bill said as he hopped into bed

"Me too, the kids are going to sleep well tonight after all that excitement" Laura replied, sliding in next to him.

"Bill?" Laura asked tentatively, as she made herself comfortable against the headboard.

"Yes sweetheart" Bill said looking over at her.

"What do you think about trying for another one?" Laura asked, turning to Bill and smiling softly.

"Really? You want to have another baby?" Bill replied excitedly.

"Yeah I do, seeing Katie and the boys together today, made me realise I want another child and for Katie to have someone closer to her age to play with" Laura explained.

"I would love to have another mini Laura" Bill said beaming.

"It would be pretty great to have a little version of you" Laura replied, snuggling up against him.

"You want to get started on the trying part right now?" Bill asked with a grin.

"It can't hurt" Laura replied leaning over to kiss him.

* * *

I hope you all liked the start to the sequel, if you want more please review:)


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to Berenakiss2, AdamaGirl, dinki66, Happymisa, ozzlover, walkerdude1 and the three guests for reviewing, you all helped me to keep writing and not get discouraged by someone PMing me and telling me they don't like how I'm writing alternative universe, instead of staying within the original plot.

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _22_ _nd_ _October_

"You ready to go pick your brothers and Kara?" Laura asked Katie as they drove, from the centre where their swimming class is held, to the boy's school.

"Ya" Katie replied excitedly, banging her hands against the sides of her car seat.

"Okay," Laura said as she parked the car, before walking around the car and unbuckling Katie. She placed the little girl on her hip and headed towards Zak's classroom, where she could see children excitedly grabbing their bags and walking towards their parents.

"Mommy" Zak said running to Laura with his bag dragging behind him.

"Aaam" Katie replied grinning at the sight of her brother, not quiet havigng mastered his name yet.

"Hi Laura" Kara added shyly, following closely behind Zak.

"Hi Bub" Laura replied hugging Zak tightly, before turning to Kara and adding "hi Kara, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright" Kara said, as the group walked over to Lee's classroom.

"Ee ee" Katie called upon spotting her eldest brother playing with Galen outside his classroom.

"Hi Katie" Lee replied walking over to hug his sister, "hi Mom".

"You ready to go?" Laura asked Lee.

"Yeah, I've just got to get my bag from inside" he replied running into the classroom. "Okay ready" Lee added, before quickly saying goodbye to his friends.

"I've parked over there, how about you and Kara, sit in the back and Lee and Katie can sit in the middle" Laura told Zak. When the summer holidays started in July they family decided it was time to buy a car that would accommodate their growing family, so after much deliberation they purchased a silver seven seat Mazda cx-9. They'd even decided to splash out a little extra on leather, knowing the kids would most likely spill food or drinks in the car.

* * *

"How does spaghetti, with some of the bolognese sauce your Dad made last night, sound for dinner?" Laura asked the trio excitedly.

"Yay" Lee and Zak chorused happily, before Lee asked "when's Dad going to be home?"

"He has to work late tonight, the nuggets have a test tonight and your Dads overseeing the assessment, but he should be back before you go to bed, so he can tuck you in" Laura replied.

"Okay, can we go play at outside now?" Lee asked enthusiastically.

"Sure, get changed out of your uniforms and I'll make you a snack" Laura replied ruffling the boy's hair. Ten minutes later Katie was happily playing in her bouncer when the boys came running downstairs.

"Mommy" Zak said coming to stand next to Laura, "I think Kara needs some help getting changed".

"Okay sure, I'll go help, where is she?" Laura asked.

"In the bathroom, I knocked, but she told me I couldn't help" Zak said

"Okay, can you both keep an eye on your sister, you can also have a bowl of fruit salad while I'm gone, and then once you've finished I'll get you a cookie each" Laura replied ruffling his hair and walking up the stairs.

"Kara, are you okay?" Laura asked knocking on the bathroom door.

"Umm, I'm alright" Kara replied finally managing to get her long sleeved top on.

"Are you sure sweetie?"

"Yep, all dressed" she replied opening the door and quickly running downstairs, leaving a baffled Laura in her wake, who noticed what looked like a large bruise on the back of the little girl's neck.

* * *

"Hi sweetheart, how are you?" Bill asked walking into the kitchen, placing his on the jacket on the back of a chair and kissing her on the cheek.

"Good, have you had dinner yet? I've got some pasta and sauce ready to go if not" Laura asked, smiling softly at him.

"No, I left as soon as the final examination was completed" Bill replied sitting down at the table wearily.

"Well your home now and it's Friday, so you don't have to do anything but relax for the next two days" Laura said, heating up his dinner and placing it in front of him.

"Where are the kids?" Bill asked pulling her on to his lap and eating his dinner with one hand.

"Watching a movie upstairs, I brought up some popcorn a few minutes ago and they were engrossed, even Katie seemed to be enjoying it, although I think she just liked being with the big kids" Laura replied chuckling.

"That's good, I hope my little munchkins were good this afternoon?" Bill said, running his hand softly up and down her side.

"They were, but…..you know Kara's mother well don't you? I know she is in the fleet" Laura said as softly.

"Yeah she and I fought side by side in the first Cylon war, why?" Bill asked curiously.

"Would she ever be aggressive, or get angry quickly?"

"She drank a lot of alcohol and was known to get into a few fights, but other than that she was nice, what's this have to do with?"

"This afternoon when the kids got changed so they could play outside, Kara wouldn't come out of the bathroom and when I went in to check on her, she ran out of the bathroom flustered, and I spotted a large bruise on the back of her neck. I know that's not a common place to get a bruise, so I was wondering how her mother's been treating her since her father left last year" Laura replied sadly.

"Maybe we should keep an eye on her, she may have just fallen over, but when I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if Socrata was taking a strict and hard approach to discipline" Bill said solemnly.

* * *

"Daddy" the boys yelled excitedly when Bill and Laura walked up stairs, both running over to their father and jumping into his arms.

"Hey you two, how are you?" Bill asked scooping them both into a tight hug.

"Good, we're watching the Lego movie" Zak supplied, once Bill released the boys from his embrace.

"Ahhh, what's this the sixth time you've seen it?" Bill asked jokingly, before heading over to where Katie was sitting up against a mountain of pillows.

"Dada, dada, dada" Katie squealed as Bill lifted her into his arms, and peppered kisses over her face.

"My little princess, I've missed you" Bill replied lifting her over his head, to her delighted giggles.

"Come on time to get changed into your pyjamas, then you can finish watching the movie" Laura said pausing the movie and motioning towards the doorway.

Laura was walking past the bathroom door, after giving Lee and Zak a new clean set of pyjamas, when she heard the muffled sounds of sobs.

"Kara, are you okay in there?" Laura asked, knocking softly on the door.

"Yeah, ow um, I'm okay" Kara replied quickly.

"You don't sound okay, I'm going to come in sweetie" Laura said opening the door slowly. She found Kara with one arm stuck in her pyjama top, a bruised hand poking out and tears running down her cheeks.

"Sweetie what happened?" Laura asked concerned, kneeling down to Kara's level.

"My hand hurts" Kara replied sobbing.

"What happened to your hand sweetheart?"

"Mommy placed it in a door jamb and slammed the door shut, because I put crickets in her shoes after she hit me" Kara tearfully explained.

"Oh sweetie, we need to get this checked out by a doctor, this looks like it's broken" Laura said, gently examining Kara's hand.

"Bill" Laura called out, "can you come to the bathroom please".

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Bill asked rounding the corner with Katie in his arms, before stopping still at the sight of Kara's bruised hand, "what's wrong?"

"I think Kara's broken her hand, can you please round the boys up and get them in the car, I'll get the first aid kit and strap this lightly, hopefully I can remember how from those first aid courses I took for teaching a few years ago" Laura replied helping Kara into her top.

* * *

Three hours the family was waiting in a hospital room, when the doctor came in with Kara's x-ray.

"Looks like the 5th, 4th and 3rd metacarpal bones in her hand are fractured, we're going to need to immobilise her hand in a plaster cast for around six weeks, if you can come with me sir and fill out the fleet's details for health insurance, I'll get a nurse to prepare the cast. I've also contacted child services about the alleged incident, and they will be in contact with you soon" the doctor told the group.

"Okay sure, you'll be fine sweetie" Bill told Kara who was sitting on the chair next to Laura, nestled into the older woman's side, while Zak and Lee sat beside her, and Katie rested in her car seat.

"What colour would you like?" the nurse asked cheerily, as she wheeled a tray into the room.

"Blue please" Kara replied quietly, exhausted from the day's events.

"Are you okay?" Zak asked giving Kara a hug, once her cast was in place.

"Yes I am, your Mommy and Daddy are nice" Kara replied resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah they are, I'll help protect you too, you're my best friend" Zak told her confidently.

"How'd it go?" Laura asked Bill when he returned to the room.

"Alright, child services said they would investigate the allegation, and have called you're mother Kara. She's not answering at the moment, so they've told us to continue with our original sleepover plan and they'll contact us in the morning. So for now I think we should head home and go to sleep, as soon as they discharge Kara" Bill replied sitting down next to Laura and wrapping an arm around her waist.

* * *

Please review if you liked, helps motivate me a lot :)


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to AdamaGirl, dinki66, ozzlover, walkerdude1 and the three guests for reviewing, reading your reviews made me so happy!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _6_ _th_ _November_

"Kara's here" Zak called out to the family, running down the stairs and to the front door, where Kara and her aunty were waiting.

Following their visit to the hospital, Child Services placed Kara with her father's sister, until a full investigation into the allegations could be conducted. Her aunty however, already had six children of her own and she was hoping this would be a temporary situation, until a more permanent solution could be established. Therefore whenever possible Kara would spend time with Bill and Laura.

"I still need to change Katie and get her dressed, can you go and get the kids ready to go and in the car?" Laura asked Bill, as they passed on the stairs, him with an arm full of toys and her carrying Katie.

"Sure, Lee are you dressed?" Bill called out.

"Nearly" Laura heard Lee reply, as she rounded the corner into Katie's room.

Laura quickly changed Katie's nappy and dressed the little girl in grey leggings, a pink long sleeved top and a pink jacket, before heading downstairs towards the sound of the older kids squabbling in the garage about who got to sit where.

"Lee, Zak if you don't stop fighting, your Dad and I will drop you off at your grandparents and we won't take you to the carnival" Laura told the boy's sternly. The boys immediately quietened and Lee let Zak sit in the back with Kara, while Bill loaded a few items into the boot of the car.

"That's what I thought" Laura muttered to herself smugly and strapped Katie in her car seat, before hopping in the passenger seat.

* * *

They arrived at the Caprica city state fair just before 11am, and immediately headed towards the snake shaped children's rollercoaster, before splitting for a moment, the older kids and Bill going to play bumper cars while Laura and Katie visited the petting zoo.

"It's a goat" Laura told Katie excitedly, crouching down beside Katie's pram and pointing towards the animal, who was grazing on some hay nearby.

"Aaaaa" Katie exclaimed reaching her hands out towards the goat. Smiling Laura unbuckled Katie and lifted the little girl onto her hip, moving closer to the goat so Katie could 'pat' the goat.

"Does it feel funny?" Laura asked Katie as she lowered her arm only to immediately lift it back up and giggle, as soon as she'd touched the goat's hair.

"Eeaa" Katie replied, before losing interest in the goat and pointing towards where the miniature horses and chickens were kept.

"Okay, we'll go play with the horses and chickens and then find your Daddy and the big kids" Laura told Katie, strapping her back into the pram and heading towards the chicklets. Ten minutes later Katie had decided she was no longer interested in touching the animals, so the pair headed out of the petting zoo and to where excited screams could be heard as cars crashed into one another.

"Is that Daddy, Lee, Zak and Kara?" Laura asked Katie excitedly, as the two of them watched from the side lines while the others played bumper cars.

"Dada, dada, dada" Katie replied pointing a hand out in the general direction of her father, as the ride came to an end and the foursome walked over to where Laura and Katie were waiting.

"Hi my little princess, did you like seeing the animals?" Bill asked as he lifted her into his arms and kissed the side of her head.

"Yaa" Katie replied beaming up at Bill and clapping her hands together.

* * *

After lunch the group wandered over to the Ferris wheel in the middle of the park. "This looks awesome" Lee said running to the end of the line before anyone else could line up.

"It's so big" Kara replied excitedly.

"Looks like we won't all be able to fit in one carriage, how about you take the boys and I'll take the girls?" Laura commented when she's looked at the size of the carriages and the back at the size of their family.

"Sounds good to me" Bill said wrapping an arm around her waist while they waited.

It only took ten minutes for the family to arrive at the front of the line and board two carriages, which luckily for Laura just fit herself, Katie, Kara and the pram.

"Woah" Kara said as the neared the top and she could see out over the whole park and its surrounding neighbourhoods, "I can see everything".

"Eeaaa" Katie replied smashing her hands against the plastic windows, at the new sights.

Laura smiled at the pair and pulled Katie into a standing position on her lap, so the little girl could see further. While the two girls looked out in fascination, Laura turned back to the carriage behind them to see Bill standing between the boys, his arms around them as the three admired the view.

* * *

The family arrived back home at 4pm, which was just as well because Katie was very cranky and in a desperate need of a nap. "Okay, there's only about an hour of light left, you three can go play outside, while Katie's having her nap and I'll get started on dinner, what do you want?" Laura said to the kids.

"Can we have lasagne?" Kara asked, her eyes growing wide at the thought, "I haven't had that in ages".

"Sure we can sweetie, I'm pretty sure we have all the ingredients" Laura replied smiling at the young girl.

"Thank you" Kara said excitedly before turning to Zak and adding "let's go play pilots".

"Can I go set up to my pyramid court?" Lee asked referring to the demountable court his grandparents had given him for his birthday.

"Sure buddy, just let me put your sister to sleep and then I'll come and help" Bill replied, taking a fussing Katie from Laura.

...

"All set up?" Laura asked when Bill walked back into the kitchen.

"Yep, that should keep him busy for a little while. Smells great in here" Bill replied walking over to where she was stirring the lasagna sauce in a pot.

"Thanks, I'm using your grandmothers recipe like you taught me, can you hand me the browned mince, it's time to put that in now" Laura said motioning to the island bench.

"Sure" he replied grabbing the mince and placing the mince into a pot.

"How are you doing?" Bill asked Laura, placing his hand on the small of her back.

"Alright, I'm still worried about Kara though" Laura replied sighing softly.

"I know, I am too sweetheart, but we'll figure it out" Bill said kissing her softly.

* * *

After dinner they were all seated in the living room, watching a movie, the kids on the floor and Bill and Laura snuggled together on the couch. Halfway through the movie, Laura noticed Katie who had been playing quietly next to her brothers begin crawling towards her, before pulling herself up using the side of the couch and take a few tentative steps towards her mother.

"Look" Laura whispered to Bill, pointing towards Katie with a proud sparkle in her eye. "That's it my little girl, come to Mommy" she added crouching down with her arms out.

"Mama" Katie replied taking a couple steps before falling into her mother's arms.

"Aren't you a clever girl" Laura said lifting Katie up and onto her lap, beaming at the little girl.

"You definitely are, it's going to be a lot harder to keep up with you now" Bill said kissing the top of Katie's head.

"Shhhh" Zak said turning his head around to tell his parents off. Laura and Bill chuckled to each other and placed Katie between them, the little girls head resting on Laura's lap while her feet were in Bill's.

* * *

"Negative" Laura said walking out of the bathroom and handing Bill the pregnancy test she had just taken.

"That's okay, we've only been trying for a month, it usually takes at least a couple to fall pregnant" Bill replied positively.

"Actually I've been thinking that maybe we should hold off on having another child for the moment, and instead focus on trying to get custody of Kara" Laura told Bill.

"Are you sure, I know you really wanted another baby?" Bill asked her tentatively.

"I'm not saying I don't want another child, I really do, I just think it would be a good idea at the moment to focus on Kara and get her settled and then start trying again" Laura explained.

"Well you know how much I adore Kara, and although I'd love to have another baby now, I think your right and we should hold off" Bill said smiling at her.

"I'm glad we both agree and this doesn't mean we can't still keep 'trying', we'll just have to go back to using protection" Laura replied with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"This is true, in fact we can continue 'trying' right now" Bill said pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.

* * *

Reviews make me write faster and really happy :)


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to AdamaGirl, Happymisa, walkerdude1 and the five guests for reviewing, your encouragement helps me get these chapters written by Tuesday each week :)

Chapter rating: T, not much plot to this chapter mainly just fluff :p

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _November_

"No Mama" Katie said grumpily.

"Yes, it's nap time, and that means little girls need to go to bed" Laura replied sternly.

"Nooooooo" Katie said beginning to cry, as Laura picked her up from where she was playing, with her pop-up farm animal's toy, on the floor of the study.

"Come on sweetheart, I know you don't want to, but you'll feel better after" Laura told Katie kissing the side of her head.

"Mama no" Katie whined wriggling in her mother's arms.

"We have to pick up your brothers in a couple hours, so you need to have a nap, because you miss are cranky" Laura replied carrying Katie up the stairs and into her room.

Just as Laura was about to place Katie in her cot however the phone rang, sighing to herself, Laura hitched Katie back on her hip properly and walked into her own bedroom.

"Hello, Laura speaking".

"Laura, its Ellen, I pretty sure my water just broke" Ellen blurted down the line.

"Oh okay, where are you?" Laura asked sitting down on the bed and laying Katie down next to her.

"I'm at home, I was just making a snack and suddenly there's a puddle below me" Ellen replied frantically.

"Where's Saul at the moment? Are you having any contractions?" Laura asked while running her fingers through Katie's hair. Luckily the little girl had decided she was agreeable with nap time being conducted on Mommy's bed.

"He's at the gym, he was doing my head in with his hovering, so I told him he needed to get out of the house for a little while...I haven't had any yet, I feel fine at the moment" Ellen replied nervously.

"Okay, well you've probably got a few hours before you need to get to the hospital, but I'd call Saul and tell him to come home, and then just try and get some sleep, because in a few hours you'll be exhausted" Laura told Ellen, recalling how she felt before giving birth to Katie.

"Alright, I'll call him now, thank you Laura" Ellen said gratefully.

"That's alright, and if you need me to come over just say the word" Laura replied kindly.

* * *

"Hey sweetheart, how are you?" Bill asked walking into their bedroom where Laura and Katie were playing on the bed.

"Hi honey, I'm good, how are you?" Laura replied, smiling up at him as he came to stand next the bed.

"Pretty good, although I got a frantic call from Saul earlier" Bill told Laura, chuckling as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"I presumed you would, I got one from Ellen as well just after midday" Laura said leaning over to kiss him softly.

"Oh the joys of bringing a child into the world" Bill commented mock sarcastically.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, all you had to do was stand there and watch" Laura replied cheekily, handing Katie back the block the young girl had given her for safe keeping.

"Well I had to stand there and watch the love of my life in agonising pain, although we did get something pretty amazing out of it" Bill said looking down at Katie with a smile.

"That we did, all of our kids are amazing. Speaking of, have you heard anything on the progress of Kara's adoption?" Laura asked eagerly.

"I did, I got a call from Kara's Dad sister's lawyer explaining that they would endorse our adopting Kara, and that he had it on good authority the judge would be looking at our case within the next month" Bill explained happily.

* * *

"I just talked to Saul, they're at the hospital now, however Ellen chucked him out of the hospital room and told him he needed to calm down" Bill told Laura walking into the kitchen, where Laura was placing a platter of chopped fruit on the table, next to the plate of toast and bowl of poached eggs.

"I thought that might happen, I seem to remember doing the same thing with you" Laura replied chuckling, placing a hardboiled egg and some fruit in a bowl, and handing it to an eager Katie, who was waiting patiently in her high chair.

"Well we were both wise men and followed what our wives said" Bill said chuckling and wrapping his arms around Laura's waist.

"I love you" Laura told Bill looking up at him with an adoring smile on her face.

"I love you too" Bill replied kissing her softly, before grabbing a mug and pouring himself a coffee.

"Boys, breakfast is ready" Laura called out into the living room where Lee and Zak were watching cartoons.

"Yes" Zak said running into the kitchen and taking his seat at the table.

"Looks great Mom" Lee added sitting down at the table and grabbing a slice of toast.

"Thanks buddy" Laura replied seating herself between Zak and Katie.

"Just to let you boys know, we'll probably be going to hospital later today, because Aunty Ellen is having her baby" Bill explained while serving eggs to Zak and Lee.

"Okay, will we have to be there long?" Lee asked slightly disinterested.

"We'll probably only be there for an hour, Ellen will be really tired, and Saul will need to rest too" Laura told him.

"Is it going to cry a lot like Katie used to?" Zak asked with a frown on his face.

"Probably that is what babies do most of the time bub" Laura replied chuckling and ruffling his hair.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Laura asked Ellen walking into her hospital room, where Ellen lay feeding their new born son.

"Pretty sore and tired" Ellen replied smiling exhaustedly at Laura.

"I know the feeling. I've left the boys and Katie out with Saul and Bill, I thought you might not want two boisterous boys running around your room" Laura told Ellen, sitting on the chair next to the hospital bed.

"Yeah that might be a bit much right now" Ellen replied chuckling, "would you like to hold him?"

"Definitely" Laura said holding out her arms eagerly, before adding "he's gorgeous, what are you going to name him?"

"Samuel Aaron Tigh" Ellen replied, smiling as she handed the baby to Laura.

"That's very fitting for such a handsome young man" Laura said cooing at the newborn.

"Thank you, but now the real work begins. I've only had him for an hour and I'm exhausted" Ellen replied with slight dismay.

"Wait until he's walking then you really do need eyes in the back of your head. I've lost count of the amount of times Katie has suddenly disappeared from my sight, only to find her playing with something she shouldn't be" Laura said chuckling.

"Oh gods, don't remind me. I still can't get over how she managed to crawl into the pantry in under two minutes. We were only looking after the three of them for two hours" Ellen replied perplexed.

"You'll be fine, that's part of parenting; you never feel in control" Laura said laughing, before turning around at the sound of the door opening.

"Sorry, someone wanted their mother. I left the boys with Saul, they've gone to get something to eat" Bill said placing a wriggling Katie on the floor.

"Mama, mama, mama" Katie chanted toddling across the floor to her mother, her father following closely behind.

"That's okay, I'll switch you" Laura said handing Samuel to Bill, before lifting Katie into her arms.

"He's gorgeous" Bill commented looking adoringly at the little boy.

"I think so too" Ellen replied her eyes shining brightly.

* * *

"Have you each got your story picked out?" Laura asked the boys, walking past their rooms and into her own carrying Katie.

"Yep" Lee said running into her room, Zak just behind him.

"Okay, up you come, your Dad will be in shortly, he's just checking in with Saul and Ellen" Laura replied, making herself comfortable under the covers, Katie in her arms having her night time bottle of milk.

"I'm done, Saul said everything is fine, Sam and Ellen are doing well and both asleep at the moment" Bill said walking into the room, and settling himself on his side of the bed, next to Lee and Zak who were in the middle.

"Can we do stories now?" Zak pleaded, bored of the interruption to talk about baby's.

"Sure we can Bub, want Daddy to do the voices?" Laura asked the pair with a grin.

"Yes, please Daddy" the boys chorused together excitedly.

"Okay, but only for you three" Bill replied, it wasn't really his thing, but he'd do anything to make his kids happy.

"Yay" Zak said handing Bill his book, and snuggling down in the blankets as Bill began to read.

* * *

Reviews are like food for my muse! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to AdamaGirl, ozzlover, walkerdude1 and the guest for reviewing, your encouragement helps me get these chapters written by Tuesday each week :)

Chapter rating: T, not much plot to this chapter mainly just fluff :p

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _1st December_

"Hey babe" Bill said walking into their bedroom, after returning home from work, to find Laura and Zak asleep under the covers.

"Hmmm" she replied rolling onto her back and stretching her arms, mindful not to disturb Zak.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Bill asked coming to sit beside her on the bed.

"Yeah, I seem to have caught what Zak has, so your Mother came and picked Katie up before picking Lee up from school this afternoon" Laura explained quietly.

"Aww sweetheart, have you got all of his symptoms?" Bill asked running the back of his hand softly over her cheek.

"Yeah my temperatures risen to 100 degrees, so not as bad as Zak's, but I've been sick a few times today and I'm really tired" Laura replied with a sad smile.

"That's no good, but I do have some good news from our lawyer today" Bill said excitedly.

"You do, what is it?" Laura asked her mood picking up slightly.

"Socrata's lawyer had a meeting with her yesterday. She declared, and I quote 'I don't want the little brat anyway'. So on behalf of her wishes and with her consent, her lawyer is applying to the courts to order the termination of her parental rights. Our lawyer thinks he can get our adoption of Kara to be processed at the same time, which would be next Monday, the same time as her sentencing for misdemeanour child abuse" Bill told her grinning.

"That's great news" Laura replied, "much quicker than I'd thought it would be".

"Yeah this was the only time a Judge would be able to see us for the next month, and since Child Services had already applied to and set a date with the court, both lawyers reckon they can get the judge to hear all the cases, especially as it would be less disruptive to Kara".

* * *

 _5th December_

"Morning" Bill said rolling over in bed and wrapping an arm around Laura's waist.

"Morning" Laura replied snuggling into his embrace.

"How are you feeling today?" Bill asked kissing the top of her head.

"Not great still, but I should be alright today, I'll just take it easy until the hearing" Laura replied sighing to herself quietly.

"Sounds like a good idea, we don't need to be at the courthouse until 3pm. I'll get the kids ready, fed and off to school so you can rest" Bill told her rubbing his hand up and down her arm. They had planned to send the boys to school like normal and pick them up at lunch time, so they would have enough time to change and get cleaned up, without disrupting their school day too much.

"Thanks honey that would be great" Laura said kissing him softly.

"Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?" Bill asked getting out of bed and grabbing his robe.

"No, I don't think I could stomach anything now, but thank you, maybe later" Laura replied with a small smile.

"Okay, I'll get the munchkins fed and tell them to make sure they're not too loud" Bill said grinning and opening the door to the sound of Zak and Lee running downstairs.

"Sounds like you'll have your hands full" Laura replied snuggling back under the covers.

"I think you're right" Bill said shutting the door quietly and grabbing Katie before heading downstairs.

"Where's Mommy?" Zak asked as soon as Bill entered the kitchen.

"She's not feeling great, still got a bit of that bug you had last week" Bill replied before distracting them with food.

* * *

"Upon reviewing Child Services report and considering the fact that Socrata Thrace has already served three weeks jail time, I'm am charging Socrata Thrace with misdemeanour child abuse. I am also fining the defendant $5,000 and placing her on probation for the next twelve months. In regards to the adoption based on the wishes of the current foster care providers, the mother and the petitioning family, I hereby place Kara Thrace under the care of William and Laura Adama. Full custody will be determined upon a final hearing to be held in six months' time. Court dismissed" the judge declared.

"Congratulations" their lawyer said, "I'll just go get this paperwork signed by the judge and meet you at my office, tommorw at one".

"Okay, thank you for your help" Laura replied smiling.

"That was fantastic" Bill said beaming at Laura as the couple walked to the back of the court room where the four kids and Bill's parents were sitting.

"I know, I can't believe she gets to stay with us permanently now" Laura replied excitedly.

"I'm so happy for you" Evelyn said as the couple came up to the group.

"Thanks Mum" Bill replied before kneeling down to hug Kara.

"Come on let's go and have some cake at that little café across the road to celebrate" Laura said hugging Kara as well.

"Yes" the three older kids yelled happily.

"Sounds good to me" Bill said lifting Katie into his arms and wrapping an arm around Laura's waist, as the family headed towards the exit, smiling at the three older kids running ahead.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Bill asked concerned, as they reached the bottom of the stairs outside the court house, noticing she'd suddenly become very pale.

"I ahh I" Laura tried to speak.

"Laura, Laura, Mommy" were the last things Laura heard as the world went dark and she fell to the ground.

* * *

"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Bill asked Laura, as she woke up and stared blearily around at her surroundings.

"What happened?" she asked confused.

"You collapsed as we were leaving the courtroom, I wasn't quick enough to catch you properly and you hit your head on the last stair. You were out for a few minutes, luckily the ambulance station was just around the corner, we're heading to Caprica City Hospital now" Bill explained running his fingers softly through her hair.

"Should only be another five minutes ma'am" the paramedic, who was monitoring her blood pressure, said.

"The kids? Where are they?" Laura asked looking around the ambulance.

"My parents took them home, they'll bring them into the hospital when we know more" Bill replied calmingly.

"Oh no, I don't feel so good" Laura said her eyes growing wide and her hand reaching out for the bag one of the paramedics offered.

* * *

"Hey, how are you?" Bill asked when he saw Laura's eyes flutter open.

"My heads throbbing, but other than that not too bad" Laura replied looking around the hospital room, "how long have I been asleep?"

"Only an hour, you needed it after all the excitement of getting here. The nurse came to take some blood about half an hour ago, they're running some tests to find out why you collapsed" Bill said lacing his fingers with hers.

"Did you check in with you parents?" Laura asked slightly concerned.

"Yeah, Mum said Katie is slightly confused and the boys and Kara were worried, but she'd explained that you'd be fine and took them to the park to distract them" Bill replied

"Good evening Mrs Adama I'm Dr Richardson. I've got your basic metabolic panel back, we're running a full set as well but they'll take a bit longer" the doctor said as she entered Laura's hospital room.

"So do we have any idea what happened?" Bill asked looking up at the doctor from where he was sitting beside Laura's bed.

"It looks like you're blood pressure dropped too low and you fainted, because you became hypoglycaemic, in other words you had a very low blood sugar level. When was the last time you ate Mrs Adama?" Dr Richardson asked.

"Last night I had a banana and some crackers. I haven't been feeling too great, one of my kids brought home a stomach bug from school and I caught it a couple days ago" Laura explained meekly.

"Okay, well you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself, we're going to give you some fluids and some medication to help with the nausea. I'd like to keep you overnight though to check you don't have a concussion, I'll be back in a couple hours with your full blood panel" Dr Richardson said smiling kindly at the couple, before placing Laura's chart back on the end of her bed and walking out of the room.

* * *

"Hello again Laura" Dr Richardson said as she entered Laura's hospital room, "how are you feeling?"

"Alright, I'm definitely going to have one hell of a bruise, but I'm not having any problems with my vision, although I am still a little nauseous" Laura replied sitting up in bed.

"That's good to hear, and I've got good news, you're full blood panel is in and I know why you're having problems with your blood pressure. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Adama you're having a baby" Dr Richardson told the couple smiling.

"Wait what, that can't be right, I took a test only a few weeks ago and it was negative, and then we started using protection again" Laura replied confused.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you Laura, that pregnancy tests can show a false negative especially the earlier in your pregnancy you take it, and birth control is not a hundred percent effective. The levels of HCG in your blood suggest you're around two months pregnant, but I'd book an appointment with your OBYG as soon as possible to determine how far along you are" Dr Richardson explained, "so if everything goes alright overnight, we can discharge you tomorrow morning, and you can head home".

"Okay thank you" Laura said stunned at the news.

"Wow" was Bill's response when the doctor left the room.

"Yeah, we just got custody of Kara a few hours ago and now we're having another baby" Laura replied turning her head to look him directly in the eye.

"I know the timings not great, but I must admit I'm ecstatic at the thought of another child" Bill said smiling.

"Oh honey I am too, it's just one hell of a shock to me. I wasn't anywhere near this nauseous with Katie, so I was just putting feeling unwell down to having Zak's bug and the stress associated with adopting Kara" Laura replied clasping his hands in hers.

"So how do you want to proceed from here?" Bill asked her hopping up onto the bed a sitting beside her.

"Well I guess you go home and make sure the kids are alright and in the morning I get discharged and we make an appointment with Jane, then we have a baby" Laura said kissing him softly and resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

I hope you all are happy about the baby, reviews are great for encouragement and they help the new baby grow :pretty tired you know


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to AdamaGirl, Happymisa, jacilenemns, PythianProphecy, ozzlover, walkerdude1 and the three guests for reviewing, I'm so glad you're all happy about the new baby!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _December_

"Hello Laura and Bill, how are you doing?" Dr Jane Nelson asked as the couple entered her office.

"Pretty good, Katie's doing well as are the boys, and we just adopted a little girl, Kara, who is one of Zak's friends" Laura replied smiling as she took a seat.

"That's wonderful news, I hope she settles in quickly. So I see from your blood test you're expecting again" Jane said cheerfully.

"It seems so, yes" Bill replied chuckling.

"I'm going to guess then that this is unexpected?" Jane confirmed.

"Just a little. We were trying to conceive a couple months ago, however when we decided to adopt Kara, we took a test and it was negative, so we decided to stop trying for the time being. Turns out though that the test most likely showed a false negative" Laura explained chuckling to herself.

"Well I guess the gods just wanted you to have another baby, how about we get you up on the bed and do a few tests?" Jane asked optimistically.

"Sounds good" Laura replied hopping onto the bed and laying down.

"Okay, I'm just going to take your blood pressure first, have you been making sure you're eating regularly to stop it dropping too low again?" Jane asked sternly.

"Yes, over the last couple days I've been making sure I drink a lot of fluids and eat a big meal around lunch, as that is the time I feel least nauseous" Laura said

"Well your blood pressure seems okay today, so hopefully you won't have any other complications during your pregnancy. I'll just have a feel of your stomach and then we can do the sonagram" Jane explained snapping on some gloves.

Laura turned her head to the side to smile at Bill and he grabbed his hand in hers, gently squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"Let's take a look" Jane said as she placed the sonogram wand on Laura's stomach, "ohhhh okay".

"What's the matter?" Bill asked concerned.

"Well I know why Dr Richardson assumed you were around ten weeks pregnant based on your HCG levels, as it looks like you're six weeks pregnant with twins" Jane said smiling at the couple.

Laura just stared blankly at Jane, her eyes wide as she processed the information, "I'm sorry what did you say?"

"You're going to have not one but two babies, congratulations" Jane said cheerily.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that" Bill commented slightly shocked.

"Neither was I, you're definitely getting a vasectomy now, six children is us done" Laura said grinning at him, her head still spinning with the revelation.

"Well I can put you in touch with someone if you'd like, he comes highly recommended" Jane told them, laughing at the pair.

"I can already feel the pain" Bill replied wincing.

"Ooo here's a good view, if you look here you can see baby number one, and here's baby number two" Jane said

"Oh my gods" Laura said looking at the image of her two babies.

"Here's the heartbeat too" Jane said as the staccato sound of two heartbeats filled the room. Laura and Bill looked at each other, their eyes conveying the wonder and excitement they felt upon hearing their children for the first time.

"That's amazing" Bill replied lifting Laura's hand and kissing it softly.

* * *

 _19_ _th_ _December_

"He's adorable" Laura said lifting Samuel into her arms and motioning for Ellen to sit in one of the lounge chairs.

"He is, Saul's absolutely smitten, and he's already grown so much in just a month" Ellen replied smiling.

"I'm sure he is. They are amazing but just wait until their older though and can talk/fight with each other" Laura said slightly exasperated.

"How is school holidays going?" Ellen asked chuckling.

Laura was just about to answer when they heard a frustrated groan and the sound of feet rounding the corner quickly.

"Mommy she keeps messing with our stuff" Zak whined entering the living room with Katie.

"She's just having fun Zak, she doesn't mean to bother you" Laura told him reassuringly.

"But we're trying to build a viper hideout with pillows and she keeps pushing it over" Zak said, his eyes pleading with hers.

"Okay, how about you come sit with Mommy and Samuel?" Laura asked Katie excitedly, holding out a hand to the little girl and patting the space next to her on the couch.

"Mamma" Katie replied happily toddling over to where her mother was and waiting for someone to lift her up.

"Here you go" Ellen said lifting the little girl up and making sure she was comfortable.

"This is Samuel Katie" Laura said lifting the infant up slightly so the little girl could see properly.

"No" Katie replied shaking her head and snuggling into her mother's side.

"Well she's not interested" Laura commented chuckling, before handing Katie her toy phone to play with and adding "at least she didn't hit him, we've had to tell her a few times of the last few weeks that just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you can hit".

"One of the joys I'm sure Saul and I will go through, but I'd do anything for him. I didn't realise how much I can love something so quickly until I had him" Ellen said

"I know the feeling, I fell in love with Katie the moment I set eyes on her" Laura replied looking down at Katie adoringly and stroking her hair.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _December_

"Just a little bit longer" Laura told the boys and Kara, as they waited in line for Santa.

"Are you feeling alright?" Bill asked Laura quietly, when he noticed Laura's skin had a slight green twinge to it. She was now eight weeks pregnant and although there was a slight swell to her stomach, they were being discreet about her symptoms and waiting until she was in her second trimester to tell the children about their new siblings.

"Yeah, one of the smells coming from the food court is just making me a little nauseous" Laura replied placing a hand on her stomach.

"I can look after the kids for a few minutes, do you want to go to the bathroom or something?" Bill offered rubbing a hand softly over her back.

"Thank you, that might be a good idea" she replied moving Katie's pram in front of Bill, and murmuring to the kids that she would be right back.

As soon as she made it into the bathroom and away from the smells, Laura took a deep breath and braced herself against the countertop.

"Ooooo" she sighed as she closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as she waited for the wave of nausea to pass.

When she didn't feel like she would be immediately be sick, she grabbed her hand bag, luckily finding her maternity ginger lollies, Jane had recommended as a natural remedy to morning sickness, quickly and began sucking one.

Five minutes later she felt like her stomach could handle the smell of the food court for the time being. Checking she looked presentable she readied herself before heading out to where the kids and Bill were waiting in line.

"You look a little better" Bill commented when Laura returned to the family.

"Mamma" Katie squealed happily.

"Yeah, the ginger lollies are making it manageable. Hi sweetie, are you excited to see Santa?" Laura asked excitedly, unbuckling the little girl and lifting Katie onto her hip.

"Ya" Katie replied banging her hands together enthusiastically.

"Okay we're up" Bill said as the older kids ran over to where Santa was seated, immediately telling him what they wanted for Christmas.

"Be good" Laura told the four of them as she seated Katie on one of Santa's knees, while Kara was perched on the other, and the boys stood either side.

"Imagine this time next year, when there'll be six of them up there" Bill whispered to Laura when she returned to his side while the picture was taken.

"Oh gods, were going to have our hands full" Laura replied chuckling and wrapping an arm around Bill's waist.

* * *

"What's the matter?" Bill asked Laura when he walked into their room to find her crying

"I don't know, I just can't stop crying, damn pregnancy hormones, everything seems to be double with these two" Laura replied wiping the tears on her cheek away with her hand.

"Aww sweetheart, it's okay I'm going to be here for the entire pregnancy this time, you don't have to do anything alone. Is there anything you're worried about in particular?" Bill asked coming to sit beside her.

"I'm just worrying about all the little details. I didn't have to worry about running after a toddler when I was pregnant with Katie, and now it's going to be even harder because I'll be the size of house within a few months….And we don't have enough rooms for everybody, where are the twins even going to sleep once they move out of our room" Laura replied frantically.

"It's okay sweetheart we'll figure it out. Plus I've been thinking a little about the room situation and I thought we could keep Kara and Zak where they are at the end of the hallway, and Katie where she is next to us, and then use my Christmas bonus to extend the house over the top of the garage, and build a room for Lee. Then the twins can move into Lee's old room, and by the time they'll want separate rooms Lee will likely be in college" Bill proposed with a small smile.

"That sounds perfect, thank you honey for letting me have a moment" Laura said snuggling into his side.

"That's okay, I'd do anything for you and the kids, and you two be nice to your Mommy" Bill told the twins placing a gentle hand atop the slight swell of her stomach.

"I love you" Laura whispered craning her neck to kiss him softly.

"I love you too" Bill replied wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

* * *

Please review, I love hearing feedback on the story! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to Happymisa, walkerdude1 and the four guests for reviewing, I'm glad you all like the surprise of the two new babies, I was debating for a while whether or not I should go with twins.

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _31_ _st_ _December_

"Are you ready?" Laura asked the kids excitedly, as the waited along the waterfront's edge for the 9 o'clock, New Year's Eve fireworks to begin.

"Yeah this is going to be so cool, I've never seen fireworks properly before" Kara exclaimed happily.

Laura looked at Bill and smiled, there were a number of common activities that they were learning Kara had not been fortunate enough to experience. So over the last month, they had been trying to ensure she was able to experience all the activities Zak and Lee took for granted, including watching the large New Year's Eve fireworks display held on the waterfront.

So here they were waiting for the fireworks to begin, Lee, Zak, Katie and Kara all layered up in the winter gear, Katie with the added accessory of headphones. They'd purchased a pair of electronic protective ear muffs for Katie to ensure she could enjoy the fireworks, without being scared by the loud noise that went along with it.

The fireworks began and Laura wrapped an arm around Bill's waist, before looking down at the kid's faces, noticing Katie and Kara in particular with their eyes as large as saucers. It may be pretty cold by Caprica City standards, but when she looked at their beaming faces she was very happy they made the decision to take the kids out on this busy night, to enjoy the festivities.

* * *

 _1_ _st_ _January_

"Thank the gods it's winter" Laura exclaimed from where she stood in front of their full length bedroom mirror, admiring the loose fitting grey knit dress and stockings she was wearing. Although the typical Caprica City winter temperatures were mild compared to other parts of Caprica, and ranged from between 46 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures still required layering clothes, which was turning out to be a tremendous help in concealing her pregnancy. Now at ten weeks there was a definite bump instead of a slight swell, but if she wore lose fitting clothes and multiple layers, it just looked like she ate a little bit too much over the Christmas period.

"I know, it's really hard to keep it from the kids, but only a couple more weeks and we'll be in the second trimester, then we can start telling everybody" Bill replied wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and placing his hands on her stomach.

"I am looking forward to not having to keep it between ourselves" Laura said admiring the way Bill's strong hands, softly cradled the swell of her stomach.

"Me too, I love you".

"I love you too" Laura replied craning her neck back to kiss him softly.

"I guess I better go and see if the kids are dressed and ready to go, or if they decided to play instead" Bill said chuckling.

"Aye Aye Sir, I'll get Katie dressed andy then meet you all downstairs" Laura replied smiling.

* * *

"Happy New Year" Saul said upon opening his front door to the family of six.

"Happy New Year" the boys and Kara replied cheerily, before running inside.

"Happy New Year, how are you?" Laura asked stepping inside, Katie on her hip.

"A bit sleep deprived, but other than that good, how are you two?" Saul replied chuckling.

"Pretty good" Laura said as Bill took her jacket and then Katie's.

"And how are you little miss?" Saul asked Katie, tapping her strawberry blonde hair which was pulled into a top knot, causing the little girl to look up in confusion and place her hands on her head.

"You're doing good too aren't you, loving having everybody home to play with at the moment" Laura replied chuckling and kissing the top of Katie's head, before placing her on the ground and keeping an eye as she toddled off towards the older kids.

"Hello everybody, sorry I couldn't greet you, this one needed to be changed" Ellen said walking down the stairs with Samuel, to where the group had moved to the living room.

"That's okay, we definitely understand that" Laura replied giving Ellen a quick hug, "do you need any help with lunch?"

"That would great, it's been an experience cooking for this many people with a six week old" Ellen said chuckling.

"Just yell out if you need anything" Laura told Bill and Saul, who were already huddled together on the couch, engrossed in the Caprican Bulls vs Picon Panthers game.

"Boys" Ellen said to Laura, chuckling and shaking her head.

* * *

"Your parent's have arrived" Ellen called out to Bill and Saul, who were pretty much oblivious to anything other than the game.

"I'll get the door, it doesn't look like either of those two will be moving anytime soon" Laura replied chuckling.

"Hello" Laura said cheerily, upon opening the door for Evelyn and Joseph.

"Hi Laura, how are you?" Joseph asked taking his and Evelyn's coats off.

"Good, and you?"

"We're doing pretty well" Evelyn replied smiling.

"The kids are in the living ro…..well this one was" Laura said as Katie exclaimed "Ama, Apa" toddling towards them from the living room.

"Oh look at you, you're such a cutie, come here to Grandma" Evelyn said holding her arms out to Katie, who grinned and stretched out her arms in response.

"That's my little princess, kisses for Grandma?" Evelyn asked lifting Katie into her arms, and waiting patiently as the little girl puckered her lips and placed a wet kiss on her Grandmother's cheek.

"What about Grandpa?" Joseph asked coming to stand next to the pair, before Katie grinned and reached her arms out, placing them on her Grandfather's cheeks and giving him a kiss.

"Thank you" Joseph said before the group made their way into the living room.

"How were the fireworks last night?" Joseph asked sitting beside Bill on the couch.

"Really good, the kids had a fantastic time, conned us into getting them all glow sticks which cost $10 each, but their excitement was worth it" Bill replied smiling at the sight of his four kids playing happily together.

* * *

"Where's your head?" Evelyn asked Katie excitedly, while the little girl sat in her lap.

Katie placed both of her hands on top of her head and beamed proudly up at her grandmother.

"Where's Mommy?" Evelyn asked, chuckling as Katie looked around the room, before smiling and pointing towards her mother.

"And where's Daddy?"

"Dadda" Katie said pointing to her father, who was still sitting next to Saul engrossed in the game.

"You're such a clever girl" Evelyn told Katie, kissing the little girl's cheek and placing her back on the ground.

"She's getting faster" Evelyn commented, as the little girl quickly made her way to other side of the room, where the older kids were playing with Samuel.

"I know, I don't think it'll be long now until she's running" Laura replied, "I'm going to need super speed to keep up with her, although we're considering sending her to the same day care as her swimming friends, Ella and Samuel, for one day a week when she turns two. It should give me a full day to completely focus on the bookshohp, since we're looking to grow and find a bigger space, as well as give her a chance to interact with some more kids her age".

"That sounds like a great idea, but Joseph and I are always happy to look after the kids if your need to get some urgent work done, or just want some time by yourselves" Evelyn said smiling at the kids.

"Thank you, it's good to know that an option if needed" Laura replied gratefully.

Just then however the adults heard a high pitched scream and Katie begin to cry, as she lay on the ground, the older kids huddled over her.

"I didn't mean to Mom, I didn't realise she was behind me" Zak said anxiously.

"Its okay honey, I know you didn't. She'll be fine, I think she's more shocked then anything" Laura replied reassuringly as she moved to where Katie was lying on the ground.

"It's okay baby, you'll be alright" Laura said as she picked up Katie, who had tears running down her face, and sat back down on the couch. "Let me have a look sweetie" Laura added before carefully checking the little girl over for any bumps, bruises or cuts.

"You're all good, you'll be okay sweetie" Laura told Katie, grabbing a tissue to wipe the girls cheeks and nose, before snuggling with Katie on the couch, as the little girl calmed down and her hiccups subsided.

* * *

At 1pm the group all sat down to a lunch of barbequed pork and chicken, with various salads, rice dishes and breads.

"Would you like a glass of red or white?" Ellen asked Laura as she seated herself between Kara and Katie.

"I'll just have some orange juice, I'm going to drive and let Bill have a few with Saul" Laura replied, quietly happy with the answer she'd been able to come up with to avoid alcohol.

"I guess that makes two of us then, since I'm still breastfeeding regularly and did have a glass on Christmas day" Ellen said before pouring wine into each of the other adult's glasses.

"Well at least we'll have company in each other" Laura said before turning to Kara and asking "do you want pork or chicken?"

When Laura and Bill had helped Kara, Zak and Katie put together a plate of food to eat, Bill raised his glass and said "Happy New Year everybody".

"Happy New Year" the group replied smiling brightly and clinking their glasses together.

* * *

Please review! Means so much and helps the babies grow :P


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to AdamaGirl, walkerdude1 and the two guests for reviewing, I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I loved reading your reviews!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _23rd January_

"Hi Laura and Bill, how are you doing?" Jane asked, as the couple entered her office.

"Pretty busy with four kids and the holidays, but the kids enjoyed themselves a lot, and it was nice to have a small holiday" Laura replied cheerily, taking a seat next to Jane's desk.

"That's good to hear. How's everything been going in the six weeks since I last saw you?" Jane asked taking a seat and grabbing Laura's chart.

"Pretty well, I'm putting on weight and trying to eat a balanced diet. I have had a few bad headaches, but the ginger lollies have helped a lot with the nausea" Laura replied smiling.

"Okay that's good to know. The headaches could be caused by a number of factors, but their mainly due to hormonal shifts, dehydration, lack of sleep, or stress. So just make sure you're monitoring the triggers of your headaches, as well as staying rested and hydrated" Jane explained kindly.

"Will do, and I'll make sure she's not overexerting herself" Bill replied, giving Laura a look that told her she wouldn't get away with trying to do too much this pregnancy.

"I'm glad. Well I have the results of the blood test we took a couple weeks ago and everything looks good, no abnormal hormonal changes that might indicate chromosomal defects. So I'll just get you to lay down on the bed, and I'll do an examination and take some measurements, then we can do the ultrasound" Jane said excitedly, helping Laura onto the bed.

"Does that hurt at all?" Jane asked pressing lightly on Laura's stomach, to feel the positions of the babies.

"No, no pain" Laura replied honestly.

"Okay good, we'll get started on the ultrasound then" Jane said, wheeling the machine up to the bed, and squirting some cold gel on Laura's stomach,, before placing the ultrasound wand on Laura's bump.

"There's your babies, you can see both foetuses a lot more clearly than the last ultrasound" Jane commented as the twins appeared on the screen, "you can see baby A here, is opening and closing their fingers and baby B here, is kicking their legs".

"Wow" Laura commented her eyes glued to the screen, "they've grown so much".

"Looks like it, I'll just measure the babies crown to rump length" Jane said, as she clicked a myriad of buttons on the monitor's keyboard, "looks good, right now your twins are growing at the same rate as a single baby, but as your pregnancy progresses they'll have a slightly slower rate of growth. Baby A is measuring 2.2 inches and Baby B is measuring 2.1 inches, which means your measurements are on track for our original due date estimate of the 9th of July".

"Would you like to do a 4D ultrasound as well?" Jane asked the couple.

"Absolutely" Bill replied smiling.

"Here they are, Baby B is now sucking their thumb and Baby A is still opening and closing their fingers, I'll put the heartbeat monitor on as well" Jane said, before the sound of two heartbeats filled the room.

"Hearing their heartbeats and seeing the detail of the 4D ultrasound, makes it so much easier to imagine the little babies we'll have in our life soon" Laura commented clutching Bill's hand.

"I know, it's amazing" Bill replied lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing her palm softly.

"The wonder of technology" Jane said giving them one final look before turning the machine off, "what are your plans for the rest of today?"

"I think we'll just grab a late lunch and then pick the older kids up from school, and Katie from her playdate" Bill replied helping Laura off of the bed.

"That sounds nice, have a good afternoon and I'll see you in four weeks" Jane said removing her latex gloves.

"Thank you, see you then" Laura replied as Bill steered her out of the room.

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy" Zak said excitedly when he spotted Laura and Bill waiting outside his classroom.

"Hey buddy" Laura replied ruffling his hair and smiling softly at Kara, who was following closely behind.

"How was your day?" Bill who had become increasingly attached to the young girl, asked Kara.

"Good, my team beat Zak's in dodge ball" Kara said excitedly, before noticing her teacher was walking towards the group.

"Can I speak to you quickly?" Zak and Kara's teacher, Miss Heather Williams asked.

"Sure, can you two make sure you have all your things, we'll be back in just a minute" Laura said before stepping into the classroom.

"Is something the matter?" Bill asked concerned, once the trio were out of the kid's earshot.

"No actually, very good. I just wanted to say that I've noticed a marked improvement in Kara's concentration, mood and grades, since she's been under your care. A few months ago she was always sad, day dreaming and barely able to pass her subjects, but now she's a solid B, enthusiastic and interacting with her other classmates" Miss Williams replied smiling.

"That's great to hear" Laura replied, secretly a little proud.

"Yes it is, and as you both know, Kara is currently completing the learning support class for maths and English, but based on the progress I've noticed over the last few weeks, I think she's more than capable of completing the same English and maths class as the rest of her peers" Miss Williams added.

"That's wonderful, I know that will definitely boost her confidence" Bill replied happily.

"I hope so, because she's a bright kid. I'll let you get back to them now, I'm sure they can't wait to get home" Miss Williams commented chuckling.

"Thank you for looking out for her" Laura replied sincerely, as she and Bill exited the classroom, to where Zak and Kara were waiting patiently.

"I'll see you two tomorrow" Miss Williams said bidding the group farewell.

"Want to ride on my shoulders?" Bill asked Kara, who's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Sure" Bill replied crouching down, so she could climb onto his shoulders.

"Let's go get your brother" Laura said grabbing Zak's hand, and heading in the direction of Lee's classroom.

* * *

"Dinner's ready" Bill heard Laura call from the Kitchen, before switching the news off.

"It's time for dinner" Bill told Katie who was colouring, well mainly scribbling with crayons on a piece of paper, in the living room.

"No Dadda" Katie replied shaking her head and continuing to colour.

"Yes, it's time for everyone to eat together" Bill said picking the little girl up, just as she let out an ear piercing scream and began crying.

"Nooooo, Dadda no" Katie replied wriggling in his arms.

"Yes, we all eat dinner together, and if you don't stop and be a good girl, you won't be allowed to colour after dinner" Bill told Katie, who immediately calmed down.

"Good girl, let's go have dinner then" Bill said carrying her into the kitchen and placing her in the highchair.

"Sure you still want another two of these?" Bill murmured to Laura jokingly.

"It's a bit too late now" Laura replied laughing, as she placed the makings for Tacos on the table, "Although I don't know why we expected anything different, she has the stubbornness of both her parents".

* * *

"Can you all come into the living room please?" Bill called from the hallway, before heading downstairs and sitting on the couch next to Laura and Katie, who was snuggled against her mother's side playing with her doll.

"What's up Dad?" Lee asked walking into the living room, his brother and Kara following closely behind.

"Have a seat, your Mother and I have some news we'd like to discuss with you" Bill said trying to keep the mood light hearted.

"Is something wrong? Do I have to go back and live with my Mom or Auntie?" Kara asked concerned.

"No nothing like that sweetheart, we have good news. In six months' time we're going to have two new additions to our family, because I'm pregnant with twins" Laura said enthusiastically, smiling down at Katie and the older kids.

There was silence within the room, as the older kids processed the news, and Katie just continued playing, not really understanding, until Kara jumped up from the ground and ran over to Laura and Bill, giving them a big hug and uttering "yes".

"Wait, we won't have enough rooms for everybody" Lee spoke up suddenly, his comment not surprising to Bill and Laura, as he was their pragmatic, level headed son.

"Well that's something we'd also like to talk to you all about. Your Mother and I thought we would extend the house over the garage and create a room for you Lee, and the babies can have your room" Bill explained/proposed to Lee.

"Would I get to help design it?" Lee asked curiously.

"Yes, and before either of you say anything" Bill replied looking at Kara and Zak, "within reason, we'll let you two redecorate your rooms as well".

"Yes" Kara shouted excitedly, grinning at Zak who sat their silently.

"I thought you had just eaten too much" Zak commented finally speaking up.

"Well I have been eating for three lately" Laura replied chuckling.

"But we already have enough people, we don't need anymore" Zak said pouting, "you keep getting all these new kids, what if you forget about Lee and I".

"Oh buddy, we'll never forget about you ever. You're an amazing little boy, and I know you're going to be an amazing big brother to Katie and the twins. How about before the babies are born, we spend a day with each of you every month, doing whatever you want?" Laura replied enthusiastically.

"Okay, but can I have brothers, we've got enough girls now?" Zak asked seriously.

"Well unfortunately whether the twins are boys, girls or both is up to the gods, but I can promise you that no matter what, your father and I will always love you all" Laura said genuinely.

"Come on you three, up on to the couch, and give us a hug" Bill opening his arms wide, before Kara, Lee and Zak all scrambled on to the couch, and wrapped their arms around Katie and their parents.

* * *

How's everyone liking the story so far, let me know :)


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to AdamaGirl, ozzlover, walkerdude1, Happymisa and the two guests for reviewing, your continued encouragement is amazing!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _February_

"Hi I'm Laura, come on in" Laura said opening the door to the contractor they'd called for a quote on their renovation.

"Thank you, I'm Callie" the young builder replied, stepping inside.

"Nice to meet you, my husband should be home soon, he's just wrapping something up at work" Laura said directing Callie upstairs.

"That's alright, this is a nice place you have here" Callie commented looking around the house.

"Thank you, if you don't mind just staying here for a moment, I can hear my daughter calling for me" Laura said upon hearing Katie call Mamma, "she must have woken up from her nap".

"Sure, it'll give me a chance to unpack my tools" Callie replied smiling.

"Hi sweetie" Laura said smiling softly at Katie who was standing against the rails, blearily looking up at her mother.

"Mama, out peease" Katie replied holding her arms out towards Laura.

"Sure, did you have a good nap?" Laura asked lifting the little girl.

"Ya" Katie replied, still a little dozy from her nap.

"That's good, I think you need a change though" Laura said smelling Katie's nappy and carrying her over to the changing table.

Once Katie was changed and redressed Laura guided Katie out of her room and towards the play area, while explaining "we have a visitor, this is Callie".

"Hiiee" Katie said waving her hand back and forth.

"Hi" Callie replied "Are these…"

"Sorry I'm late" Bill said interrupting the conversation, as he quickly walked up the stairs.

"Dadda" Katie squealed excitedly.

"Hi princess, how are you?" Bill asked swinging her into his arms.

"Goob" Katie replied wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm Bill" Bill said directing his attention towards Callie and holding his hand out.

"Nice to meet you, you have a lovely house" Callie replied shaking Bill's offered hand.

"Thank you, we've made it our little home" Bill said smiling.

"When are you looking to begin work?" Callie asked the couple.

"Within the next few weeks. Our eldest son's birthday is in a few days and although we're having the party at the trampoline facility in town, we're going to hold a small family dinner here on Monday night" Laura explained.

"Leee" Katie added seriously nodding her head.

"That's right" Laura replied chuckling.

"We can access the roof of the garage through this 2m by 2m window, or by ladder" Bill explained directing Callie to the window, "the key I have here opens the window fully, so an adult is able to easily fit through".

"Great, how about I take some measurements and then we can talk about what you'd like to do, and how much it would the likely cost" Callie said grabbing her tap measure and a notebook.

"Sounds good, I'll let you out there and talk you through the area" Bill replied unlocking the window.

* * *

"So what do you want done exactly?" Callie asked the couple, the group now having moved to the living room to discuss costing.

"Well I'm pregnant with twins right now, and we already have four kids and only five bedrooms, so we we're looking to extend the house over the garage and build another room. We'd like to make the bedroom 3m by 3m, which would mean there is still a little space left over, so we thought we could extend the play room a little and maybe create a proper media area where the kids could watch their own shows" Laura explained thoroughly.

"Pway?" Katie asked suddenly intrigued from where she was sitting on the couch, between her parents, with one of her picture books.

"Not right now pumpkin" Bill replied running his fingers through her hair softly, before placing his arm over the back of the couch, his hand resting on Laura's shoulder.

Chuckling quietly, Callie began scribbiling on her notepad before saying "okay, well based on your plans and the structures already in place, as well as the labour and materials required, the extension is likely going to cost around $25,000".

"That's about what we were expecting, would that cost include the project management fee?" Bill asked curiously.

"Yes it would, I can have a formal quote drawn up and sent to you within the next couple days, and then check back in with you in a week if you'd like, no rush to make any decisions right now" Callie replied smiling.

"Okay, that sounds good, thank you for coming over" Laura said kindly.

* * *

 _5_ _th_ _February_

"Are you are ready to have some fun?" one of the staff members, at Jump World, asked the children, who were eagerly waiting to enter the padded, wall to wall, trampoline room.

"Yes" they all cheered excitedly.

"Okay, you've got this room all to yourselves for the next hour, so have fun and remember the rules" the staff member replied, before allowing the kids to run excitedly into the room.

"Mamma, down" Katie said wriggling and pointing to where the older kids were now bouncing around the room.

"Sorry sweetie, you're not allowed to play in their yet" Laura explained kissing the side of her head, and heading towards the other side of the party room where she had placed a few of Katie's toys, to keep her occupied.

"No mama" Katie replied trying to run back to where the older kids were, as soon as she was out of her mother's arms.

"No you don't" Bill said quickly scooping her up into his arms, before walking over to her toys and offering "how about we play with your blocks?"

"I'll get the food set up for when the kids come back" Laura mentioned, grabbing the large cooler bags they'd brought and arranging the food on a table. They decided to cater the party themselves and had chosen hot chips, sausage rolls and lollies, along with the healthier option of an assorted platter of sandwiches and fruits from the local deli nearby.

"Is everything okay?" Bill asked Laura, who was longingly looking at the table.

"Yeah, I'm just really craving one of those ham sandwiches, with some chips inside and tomato sauce" Laura replied longingly.

"We bought more than enough food, I'm sure the kids won't miss out at all if you have a little bit" Bill said chuckling.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely babe".

"Okay" Laura said happily, grabbing the makings for her unusual sandwich, and quickly taking a bite, a satisfied expression gracing her face.

"Good?" Bill asked grinning, while also slightly disgusted at her concoction.

"Yep" Laura replied with a mouthful of food.

* * *

90 minutes later, the kids had run themselves ragged out on the trampolines and were now fed and ready for cake.

Laura placed the rainbow cake in front of Lee, and lit the two large one candles that were sticking out the top of the cake. Lee had decided on a cake that was covered in blue fondant and decorated to look like an explosion of lollies, with m&m's, marshmallows, gummy bears, maltesers, freckles, strawberry creams and snakes piled on top, and running down the sides of the cake.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lee, happy birthday to you" the group sang to a beaming Lee, the children around him eagerly awaiting a piece of cake, to increase their sugar high.

"Here you go" Laura said cutting a large slice for Lee, before handing out slices to the rest of the children.

"I'm glad we don't have to look after them all tonight, we've given them a lot of sugar" Bill commented to Laura chuckling.

"Just remember that four of those are ours, and we still have to take them home and try to get to them sleep tonight" Laura replied good naturedly, looking over at Kara and Zak who were seeing who could eat their cake quickest.

* * *

 _6_ _th_ _February_

"Happy Birthday" Evelyn said, squeezing Lee in a tight hug, "I can't believe my grand baby is eleven!"

"Thanks Grandma" Lee replied returning the hug.

"Happy Birthday" Joseph added embracing Lee.

"Thank you Grandpa" Lee replied smiling brightly.

"How has your big day been?" Joseph asked the young boy.

"Good, I got to be the captain of the pyramid team in gym class and Mom brought in cupcakes for everyone at morning tea time. Everyone said they were great!" Lee replied excitedly.

"That's great" Joseph said, "although we know you're the best player anyway".

"There are other good players too Grandpa" Lee replied bashfully.

"Well in our eyes you are the best" Evelyn said encouragingly, just before Bill descended down the stairs to greet his parents.

"Ama, Apa!" Katie squealed from her father's arms.

"Hi sweetie" Evelyn replied lifting the little girl into her arms and peppering her face with kisses.

"Where's Laura?" Evelyn asked curiously, and placing a wriggling Katie on the ground.

"She's in the kitchen with Kara, finishing up the last things for dinner" Bill replied cheerfully.

"Want to go see Mamma?" Evelyn asked Katie excitedly.

"Mamma" Katie said running into the kitchen as fast as her little legs would take her, before slamming into her mother, and wrapping her arms around one of Laura's legs.

"Hi sweetheart" Laura replied smiling down at Katie, before removing her apron and picking the little girl up, just as Evelyn entered the kitchen.

"Look at you" Evelyn said to Laura who was dressed in a flowing burgundy ¾ sleeve wrap dress, that fell to just below her knees, "you're glowing".

"Thank you, it's so nice to not hide my pregnancy now, especially since I'm a lot bigger than I was at this stage with Katie, plus I'm loving being in the second trimester, the first was a little ruff" Laura replied brightly.

"Do you need any help?" Evelyn asked kindly.

"I think I'll be alright thank you, there's not much left to do, and Kara's helping me tonight, she's just gone to wash her hands. I've made Lee's favourite food for dinner tonight, roast chicken and vegetables for mains, and a chocolate mud cake for dessert" Laura replied smiling.

"Sounds fantastic, how about I get a drink for everybody then while you finish up?" Evelyn asked.

"That would be great" Laura replied placing Katie back on the floor.

"My hands are all clean" Kara said running into the kitchen.

"Great, how about you start on peeling the potatoes sweetheart?" Laura suggested.

"Can do" Kara replied smiling up at the older woman.

* * *

"What a day" Bill said as he settled into bed later that night.

"I know, I'm exhausted after the last few days" Laura replied chuckling and settling into bed besides Bill.

"Well at least we managed to get all the kids to bed at a respectable time, despite the mud cake and their grandparents being over" Bill commented turning to face Laura.

"True" Laura replied yawning and turning off her bedside lamp, so only the light from the street lamps outside, illuminated the room.

"How are the twins doing?" Bill asked placing a hand atop her stomach and rubbing the defined bump.

"Good, I'm having a bit of ligament pain, but nothing too bad. I'm just glad my energy levels and appetite have started to increase again" Laura replied placing a hand atop his.

"Me too, it's was hard seeing you so sick...Be good to your Mommy, she's the best wife and Mommy out there" Bill told the babies, kissing the top of her stomach and embracing Laura.

"I love you" Laura said snuggling into his embrace and entwining their fingers on top of her stomach.

"I love you too" Bill replied kissing her softly.

* * *

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you to AdamaGirl, walkerdude1 and the two guests for reviewing, I'm so grateful the three of you continually review and give me encouragement :) What do the other 96% of readers think, are you still enjoying the story?

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _February_

"I'm home" Bill called out to Laura.

"Hi honey, how was your….." Laura said before stopping suddenly at the sight before her.

"You can't be serious, what did you do?" Laura asked, her stern school teacher and now angry mother glare gracing her face.

"It's for the kids" Bill replied sheepishly, now wondering if his spur of the moment idea, had been such a great idea.

"It might be, but who's going to look after it?" Laura asked raising her eyebrows.

"It'll teach the kids responsibility" Bill tried to reason.

"Yeah and they'll get bored of the responsibility within a week" Laura replied seriously.

"It's okay I'll make sure they stick to it. Just look at his face, the local shelter were giving them away for adoption near work, and when I walked towards my car, this little guy looked directly at me and begged for me to take him home" Bill tried to explain.

"So he spoke English to you did he?" Laura asked sarcastically.

"No, you know what I meant. Just look at him he's adorable, the kids will love a puppy" Bill replied confidently.

"He is pretty cute, what breed is he?" Laura asked scratching the puppy's head.

"The lady said he was King Charles Caviler Spaniel cross Poodle, with a light brown coat. They just got him a few days ago, when a family decided after a few weeks they didn't want him" Bill said smiling down at the puppy, who was intently sniffing his hands.

"He looks a lot more like a caviler than poodle, look at those big eyes. Does he have a name?" Laura asked lifting the puppy into her arms.

"Not yet, I thought we'd let the kids decide" Bill replied, glad she was now coming around slightly to the idea.

"Well I guess since you're so cute, we won't give you back, but I'm not cleaning up after him, as it is I can only just bend over at the moment. And he's not sleeping on our bed" Laura said with finality.

"Where are the kids?" Bill asked, not hearing the sound of the kids running around anywhere nearby.

"Katie's having a nap, and the big kids are outside playing in the backyard" Laura explained, "I can here Katie starting to wake up through the baby monitor, you stay her, I'll go grab her and bring the kids inside".

* * *

"Hi sweet pea, you ready to get up now?" Laura asked Katie, as she entered her room.

"Ya" Katie replied grinning up at her mother.

"Let's go get your brother's and sister" Laura said picking Katie up and carrying her down the stairs. Usually once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Laura would place Katie on the ground and let her walk to their destination, but knowing the little girls ability to get side tracked, she decided it was best to ensure Katie didn't find the surprise early.

"Can you three come inside please" Laura called to Lee, Zak and Kara from the back door.

"Coming" the trio called running towards the house.

"No running inside" Laura warned just before the kids entered the house, causing them to slam to a halt.

"What's going on Mum?" Lee asked curiously.

"You'll see in a second, follow me" Laura replied leading the kids towards where Bill was waiting.

"Is it something important…. a puppy!" Kara shrieked rounding the corner first and running over to Bill.

"You got us a puppy" Zak exclaimed excitedly following Kara, at the same moment Lee saw the new addition to the family.

"Surprise" Bill said placing the puppy on the ground and letting it run excitedly, to and from each of the kids.

"Is it a boy or girl?" Lee asked sitting down in front of the puppy and holding his hands out for the puppy to sniff.

"He's a boy" Bill replied smiling

"Mama down" Katie said wriggling in her mother's arms. As soon as the little girl was on the ground, Katie sat down next to her siblings and tried to reach out to the puppy, who immediately climbed up her legs and sniffed her chin, before licking her cheek, causing Katie to howl in laughter.

"What should we name the puppy?" Laura asked the children.

"Spaghetti" Zak offered laughing loudly and clapping his hands together.

"That's silly Zak" Lee replied rolling his eyes.

"Lee" Bill warned sternly.

"Sorry, what about lucky?" Lee asked enthusiastically.

"I'm not sure he really looks like a lucky, buddy" Bill replied unsure.

"How about Husker, after your call sign Dad?" Kara asked suddenly her eyes alight, not realising what she had just said.

"Yeah that's a great name" Zak agreed excitedly.

"I like it too" Lee added smiling.

"I think that would be lovely" Laura replied smiling over at Bill, as he beamed proudly, not only for the puppy's name, but the fact Kara thought of him as her Dad.

"Okay, Husker it is then. Do you like that Husker?" Bill asked the puppy, who excitedly yipped in response and danced around in circles.

"Did you get anything for Husker to sleep in, or eat?" Laura questioned Bill, unfortunately knowing the answer to her question already.

"Ummm, I may have forgotten about those things" Bill replied sheepishly, rubbing his hand behind his neck.

"I guess we're marking a trip to the pet store tomorrow" Laura said shaking her head good naturedly.

* * *

"You're a good boy aren't you" Kara commented as she rubbed Husker on the stomach, from where all the older kids were sitting in a circle, on the living room floor, fascinated by the new addition.

"It's nearly time for bed" Laura said entering the living room, before sitting down next to the children. Husker immediately walked over to Laura and sniffed her stomach gently, before curling up in her lap.

"I think he likes the twins" Zak said happily patting the puppy's back softly.

"I think he does too" Laura replied running a hand softly over the swell of her stomach and scratching Husker behind the ears.

"Can he sleep in my room?" Lee asked hopefully.

"Sorry buddy, but right now he's too young to wait all night to go to the toilet, your Dad and I will have to take him out a few times. Maybe in a couple of months, you can each take turns having him sleep in your rooms" Laura replied running her fingers through his hair.

"Our point exactly" Bill added walking into the room at the exact moment Husker hopped of Laura, and squatted nearby.

"Well I think that's a good time for you all to clean your teeth and get into bed, say goodnight to Husker, and your Dad and I will be up to read you a story in a few minutes" Laura said

"Night Husker" each of the children said, giving the puppy a pat and a kiss on the head, before running upstairs to the bathroom.

Once the kids were gone, Husker began canvasing the room, sniffing every little nook and cranny, stopping sometimes to let out a high pitched bark at an object.

"He's getting used to his new home quickly" Bill commented before asking "do you need a hand up?"

"It's okay, I've got it" Laura replied, awkwardly turning her body and grabbing onto the couch, before pulling herself up.

"See I was fine" Laura said grinning triumphantly.

"Well done, how are the little ones?" Bill asked placing a hand atop her stomach.

"Good, I've been able to feel them moving slightly today" Laura replied smiling.

"I can't wait until I can feel them as well" Bill said excitedly.

"It is a magical feeling….I guess we should put the kids and Husker to bed, then there might be a nice little surprise waiting for you in our room" Laura replied her green eyes shining brightly.

"Does it involve very little clothing?" Bill asked eagerly.

"It might do" Laura replied grinning and kissing him quickly, before heading upstairs.

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _February_

"I want to hold Husker" Zak declared as they pulled into the parking lot of the nearby pet store.

"Sorry Bub, but Dad's going to hold him until we get him a leash, so he doesn't get into any trouble. You can walk him back to the car once we've finished" Laura explained before hopping out of the car and unbuckling Katie.

"Okay" Zak replied sighing as he got out of the car and handed Bill the puppy, who had been sitting on his lap.

"Okay let's go" Laura said once all the kids were out of the car and ready to go, "no running in the store".

"Do you have the list of stuff we need?" Laura asked Bill as they entered the store.

"Yep, right here" he replied pulling out the hand written list from his pocket.

"I guess we should start with a bed and leash, then move onto food, toys and bath supplies" Laura said after perusing the list.

"Sounds good to me" Bill replied walking over to the bedding section of the store.

"He doesn't need a bed that size, that's for really big dogs, I bet you could probably fit in it" Laura told Zak who had spotted the largest bed the store sold, before adding "that wasn't permission to get in the bed Zak" when went to lie down.

"Fine, how about this one?" Zak asked pointing towards a dark grey rectangular basket style bed, with a large cushion inside, "it says small to medium".

"Much better" Laura replied smiling.

Most of the rest of the trip consisted of Laura repeating "we can't buy Husker the entire store, and he doesn't need that many toys", until they were finally walking out the store an hour later.

"Come on Husker" Zak called tugging on the red leash they'd purchased, which was now attached to Husker's new red collar.

"Do you need any help honey?" Laura asked Bill, as he carried the dog food, metal water and food bowls, brush, shampoo and conditioner, puppy training items, treats as well as a variety of chew toys, rope toys and balls, all in four large plastic bags.

"It's okay, I've got it, can you just make sure the kids are all seated in the car" Bill replied focusing intently, to make sure he didn't drop anything on the way to the car.

"Can do" Laura said, helping the kids into the car and ensuring everyone, including Husker, was seated and ready to go.

"Everyone ready?" Bill asked closing the boot and hopping into the drivers seat.

"Yes" the kids all called excitedly in unison.

"Okay, let's go home" Bill replied smiling back at the kids, before turning to Laura and grabbing her hand in his.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW, it makes me so happy when you do :)

P.s There will be a smutty add on to this chapter posted later on today!


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you to AdamaGirl, walkerdude1, ozzlover and the five guests for reviewing, your support means a lot and encourages me to keep writing!

Sorry this chapter is a day late, but it's the longest one I've written for smiling or a reason to smile, and I didn't want to rush to finish it, but it's ready now :)

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _11th March_

"Is everything alright?" Laura asked Bill from where she was seated at her desk in the study.

"Yeah" Bill replied placing the phone back in its cradle and pulling the other chair out from the desk.

"Doesn't seem like it, what was the call about?" Laura asked concerned, placing the bookshops accounts to the side and turning to face Bill.

"Carolanne's lawyer called. Her release date from rehab is set for later this week and she'd like to talk to me before then" Bill said sighing.

"When does she want to talk to you?" Laura asked curiously.

"I told him I'd call him back, she wants to see me in the next couple of days. I don't want to see her, but I feel a sort of obligation, since she is the boy's biological mother" Bill explained honestly.

"Well I guess you call him back and say you'll meet him tomorrow, you said you didn't have much on tomorrow at work" Laura concluded grasping his hands in hers and squeezing lightly.

"Whatcha doing in here?" Zak asked as he and Kara came running into the room.

"Just doing some work for the bookstore, what are you doing?" Laura replied curiously, sensing there was a double agenda behind their appearance.

"We're viper pilots fighting the cylons, we're also hungry" Kara said grinning.

"Do you want a snack?" Bill asked looking for a distraction.

"Yes please" the pair chorused, running out of the room.

"It'll be okay honey, I'll help you get through it" Laura said kissing Bill softly, before adding cheekily "now don't give them anything to sugary or filling, I'm going to make a start on dinner soon, and I don't want them complaining they're not hungry anymore".

"Yes ma'am" Bill replied saluting her and winking, as he walked out of the study.

* * *

 _12th March_

"I'll go and fetch her and bring her to the visitors area" the receptionist, at the rehab centre, told Bill and Carolanne's lawyer Edward.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked Bill.

"Yeah fine, just want to get this over and done with" Bill replied shoving his hands in his pocket.

"Here she comes" Edward said looking over towards the back of the room. Bill took a deep breath and turned around to see Carolanne walking towards him, she looked different. Her hair and complexion were brighter, but mainly she had this calm and at peace aura about her. She was a far cry from the woman he'd known recently.

"Hi" Carolanne said shyly, "do you want to sit outside?"

"Yeah that would be good" Bill replied following her awkwardly.

"Is something wrong?" Carolanne asked Bill once they were seated.

"No, it's just I guess you seem different" Bill replied shaking himself out of a daze.

"Rehab has been very good for me, I've learnt a lot about myself and my flaws" Carolanne said smiling softly.

"That's good, I'm glad to hear you're doing better" Bill replied sincerely.

"How have you been?" Carolanne asked, genuinely interested.

"Really good, Laura had the baby, a little girl, she's eighteen months old now. The boys are doing well too, and we now have custody of Zak's friend Kara" Bill said, his face beaming with pride.

"I'm pleased you and the boys are doing so well, one of the things I've learnt over the last few months, was that for me personally, I'm not equipped to be a mother, and I coped with the stress by drinking. I've also realised how much pain I caused the boys" Carolanne replied sadly.

"They went through a lot, but they're doing much better now...I'm just going to be straight here and say I hope you're not going to challenge the custody of the boys" Bill said frankly.

"I don't want custody of the boys. I'd like to get myself back on my feet and in a good place, and then maybe one day get to know them better, but I know they're better off with you and Laura, and with the stability their current life has" Carolanne replied honestly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Bill asked curiously.

"My parents are going to help me out financially until I get back on my feet, but they're away on Virgon and won't be back for six months. It would be great if you could help me find a job and maybe a place to stay" Carolanne said cautiously.

"Yeah I could do that, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find you a place to stay and a job" Bill replied, hoping he wasn't over promising.

* * *

"How did it go?" Laura asked Bill when they were settled in bed, that night.

"It went well, rehab has been really good for Carolanne. I saw bits of the woman I met just after joining the fleet, which I haven't seen in nearly a decade" Bill replied smiling.

"That's great, I hate what she did to our boys, but I wouldn't wish anything bad upon her and am glad she's doing better" Laura said genuinely happy for Carolanne.

"Yeah, she also told me she doesn't want to fight the ruling on the boy's custody. She realises she's not mentally or financially able to care for them, and knows they're happier with us" Bill replied reassuringly.

"I'm so glad, I will admit I was slightly concerned, that the end of her treatment at the rehab centre, would see her wanting to fight for custody of the boys" Laura said relieved, snuggling down under the covers.

"I know, I asked her bluntly, and I'm happy I did, because I don't want anything coming in between our family" Bill replied wrapping his arms around Laura.

"Me either. I'm so proud of you, and I have a little reward" Laura said fusing their mouths together.

* * *

 _16th March_

"You ready to get out of this joint?" Bill asked Carolanne, smiling as he walked up to the front door of the rehab centre.

"You have no idea, it's going to be so nice to have a bit more freedom, and not have to talk to the same people and eat the same food everyday" Carolanne replied happily.

"Well I'll drop you off at the hotel you're staying at for the time being, and you can get yourself situated there, and then we can start looking for a permanent place for you to stay" Bill said taking Carolanne's suitcase and placing it in the boot.

"Thank you, it's really good to know, I have someone who I can turn to right now" Carolanne replied placing a hand on Bill's bicep.

"That's okay, I know we've been through a lot, but we've both come out better for it, and I have two amazing boys because of our relationship. They're both wonderful big brothers to Katie, and I'm sure they will be to the twins too" Bill said grinning.

"The twins?" Carolanne asked confused.

"Oh didn't I tell you, Laura's four and a half months pregnant with twins, we've got her 20 week ultrasound in a week and a half" Bill replied enthusiastically.

"That's wonderful" Carolanne said slightly shocked at the news, before moving towards the passenger side door.

"Yeah, our little family will be complete" Bill replied beaming and hopping into the car, "okay let's get going".

* * *

 _22nd March_

"Good news" Carolanne said walking up to Bill, who was waiting for her outside the local shopping mall entrance, "Edward said the owners have accepted my offer on the apartment, I move in next week".

"That's great, I've got some good news for you too. I talked to my boss and we've got an opening for a personal assistant and he said with your experience working for your Dad's company as a secretary, the process will likely be a formality" Bill replied smiling.

"That's wonderful, thank you Bill" Carolanne said embracing him in a tight hug.

"Your welcome" Bill replied awkwardly, "how about we get going and start looking on some furniture to make your new place feel like home".

"Sounds good to me" Carolanne said happily, "I've donated all of my things that were kept in storage from our old place. I decided I wanted a clean slate to work off of and build my new life".

"Well I've taken the whole day off, so take as long as you need to find what you'd like" Bill replied kindly.

"Thank you, I'm so excited, it will be like when we first bought our house, and we're picking out furniture together" Carolanne said cheerily.

"Yeah I guess it will be, sort of" Bill replied hesitantly, not really wanting to revisit old memories.

* * *

Laura sighed and rolled over in bed, reaching out into the large empty expanse on Bill's side of the bed. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand, 12:24am, she hadn't heard from Bill since he left this morning, and this wasn't the first time in the last week that he'd come home late. She placed her hands atop her stomach, and rubbed softly, she felt lonely, and her heart broke each time the kids asked where their Dad was, saying they missed him.

 _"When's daddy going to be home?" Lee asked quietly, while Laura was tucking him in that night._

 _"I'm not sure buddy, he probably got stuck at work again, I'm sure he won't be too much longer" Laura replied reassuringly._

 _"Maybe I could wait up for him then" Lee proposed eagerly._

 _"I'm sorry buddy, but you have school in the morning, we can't have you being tired at school. How about I see if your Dad can take you all to school tomorrow?" Laura offered._

 _"Okay" Lee replied sadly._

 _"Night buddy" Laura said kissing his forehead._

 _"Night Mom, I love you" Lee replied hugging her._

 _"Love you too buddy"._

Laura wiped a stray tear away, and tried to settle down, knowing she'd be exhausted tomorrow if she didn't, but she couldn't get the heavy feeling of loneliness out of her mind.

* * *

 _26th March_

"Here they are, they're very active today, you can see them rolling around and kicking their arms and legs out" Jane said pointing towards the two blobs on the screen.

"I'm glad you're here to explain, because I can't make out anything" Laura replied chuckling.

"Don't worry most parents can't, do you want to know the sex of each baby?" Jane asked the couple.

"We're going to wait until the birth" Bill replied smiling and clutching Laura's hand. Laura grinned and looked at Bill, she hadn't seen that adoring look on Bill's face in a while, and suddenly she felt closer to him than she had in weeks.

"Okay, well looking at both of the foetuses anatomy everything looks normal, and they're both measuring within the expected range. So I'd say for the moment, you're looking at a textbook pregnancy. Have you decided whether or not you want to give birth naturally or book a caesarean?" Jane asked curiously.

"If we can we'd like to have a natural birth, but we're thinking if I go into labour any time after 36 weeks, it will probably be best for the babies, if I have a caesarean" Laura replied honestly.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. We're all done for today, if you want to get changed, Melissa at reception will have you're DVD and can book you in for your next appointment, I'd like to see you in a couple weeks" Jane said cheerfully.

"We'll seen you then" Bill replied, helping Laura of the examination bed.

"What time suits you best?" Laura asked Bill as they walked out of Jane's office.

"Ummm, let me have a look" Bill replied pulling out his phone to look at his calendar.

"I can work around your schedule" Laura said, just as Bill's phone rang.

"Oh that's Carolanne, I'll make it work, just pick whatever appointment time suits you. I'll see you later sweetheart" Bill said answering his phone as he rushed out the door, leaving a bewildered Laura in his wake.

"Laura, Laura" the receptionist said trying to get Laura's attention.

"I'm sorry what" Laura replied shaking herself out of her daze.

"Would two weeks from today be good for you?" the receptionist asked.

"Ummm…yes that works" Laura replied confused as to how five minutes ago she was filled with love and joy, and now the lonely, empty feeling had returned.

* * *

 _29th March_

"I'll be back around 5pm this afternoon" Bill said, as he donned his moving house clothes.

"Okay, make sure you're not late, you promised the boys, after 'work, you'd take them to the park and play pyramid remember" Laura replied seriously.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm home with plenty of time to play pyramid with the boys" Bill said kissing Laura on the cheek, before heading out of the room.

"Let's hope your Daddy's right" Laura told Katie, who was playing on the floor nearby.

"Daddy" Katie replied grinning.

* * *

 _30th March_

"You were meant to be home hours ago" Laura said from where she was seated in bed, when Bill entered their room at 1:15am in the morning.

"I'm sorry I completely lost track of time and got distracted" Bill replied regretfully.

"Zak was in tears Bill, when he realised you weren't going to be home in time to play with him" Laura said solemnly, a single tear escaping.

"I'll make it up to him, Carolanne just needs some help at the moment to get settled and back on her feet" Bill replied earnestly.

"The kids and I need you too Bill" Laura said tears starting to stream down her face, "I can't do this alone".

"You don't have to sweetheart, no one's asking you to, I'm just helping out Carolanne for a short period of time" Bill tried to explain.

"Well I'm getting sick of having to lie to the kids about where you are, and the disappointed looks on their faces when they realise that you won't be home in time to give them a hug, and read them a story before bed. They miss you and the worst part is they're starting to expect you to not be home. After you didn't come home in time to play pyramid with the boys, they didn't even bother asking if you would be home to read them a bed time story" Laura said her voice raising with her anger.

"Look I'm sorry, I've been a little distracted, but I'll try to do better" Bill replied, trying to defuse the situation.

"You've been saying that for a while Bill, and nothing has changed" Laura said sadly, "you spend all day at work with her, and then all night helping her, she's trying to worm her way back into your life and you're doing nothing to stop her!"

"It isn't like that at all, I'm just helping out an old friend" Bill replied raising his voice to try and get her to understand.

"For fracks sake Bill, open your eyes, she's pulling you away and monopolising all your time, while the kids, Husker and I, just sit at home hoping you'll come home soon and acknowledge us" Laura yelled, slamming her hands down on the bedspread.

"You're being ridiculous, I'm just the only person she has at the moment...I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight" Bill said realising she wasn't going to budge on the issue right now.

"I think that's best" Laura replied lying down and turning away from him.

* * *

 _Later that day_

"Come on my princess, after the mess you just made with lunch, it's time for a bath" Laura told Katie lifting her from her high chair.

"Ya" Katie replied, loving anything to do with water.

"Dammit" Laura sighed as she heard the phone ringing, "I guess you're having a bath later….Hello Laura speaking".

"Good afternoon Laura, this is Amber Jacobs from Caprica primary school. I'm calling in regards to your son, Zakary Adama. A few minutes ago, in the playground during lunch, he got into a physical altercation with a classmate, we now have him and the other child involved in the principal's office. We'd like you and your husband to come down and talk to the principal shortly" Amber explained thoroughly.

"Are both kids okay?" Laura asked concerned

"Yes ma'am, each child has mild contusions, but the school nurse is treating that as we speak" Amy clarified.

"Okay I'll let my husband know and be there in half an hour" Laura replied, glad she would have a chance to apologise to Bill for last night, since he'd left for work before she'd woken this morning.

"Come on sweet pea, we need to get you somewhat cleaned up and then get Daddy" Laura said carrying Katie into the bathroom, and wetting a wash cloth.

"Daddy" Katie squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah that's right" Laura said smiling bitter sweetly at the excitement on her daughter's face, at the possibility of seeing her father.

* * *

"Come on Bill, answer your phone" Laura said as she hung up her phone and chucked it on the passenger seat. She'd called three times now, and hadn't even been able to reach his receptionist, she just hoped she knew him well enough to arrive at the place he was most likely having lunch.

Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted Bill waiting outside his favourite café, she parked the car nearby and began to get out, when she saw Carolanne exit the café and hug Bill tightly, before sealing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

Laura stood stunned, one leg on the pavement, the other still resting in her car, as she felt her chest tighten and her heart shatter. For what felt like hours, but in reality was less than two seconds, she stood frozen, her world crumbling around her, as her heart repeatedly broke. Her mind was blank, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out, she couldn't get her body to move, she felt trapped.

Suddenly adrenaline kicked in and she moved into action, swallowing the lump in her throat, she hopped back in the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut, before putting the car into reverse, just as she saw Bill push Carolanne away, but the damage was done, she couldn't get that image out of her mind.

"No, no, no, no, no, no" Laura whispered to herself, as if repeating the word enough times would undo what she had just witnessed, and fix her broken heart. It didn't work though, she couldn't erase the memory of Bill and Carolanne kissing. Tears began streaming down her face and she pulled over, crumpling in her seat, realising that what she'd hoped would be a silly insecure idea, she pushed to the back of her mind as it would never happen, had become her reality.

* * *

PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE review :)


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you to Berenakiss2, AdamaGirl, PythianProphecy, Magges, glowshadow, Happymisa, ozzlover, walkerdude1, rinajewelstar and eight guests for reviewing, the response to the last chapter was amazing, and I'm sorry god leaving you all hanging, but I got to keep some things suspenseful :p

Since the birth of the twins is coming up in around eight chapters, I've decided the person who is the 140th reviewer will get to choose one of the following:

1\. Read the birth chapter two days before anyone else,

2\. Pick the gender of one of the twins, or

3\. Choose one boy and one girl name for one of the twins.

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _"No, no, no, no, no, no" Laura whispered to herself, as if repeating the word enough times would undo what she had just witnessed, and fix her broken heart. It didn't work though, she couldn't erase the memory of Bill and Carolanne kissing. Tears began streaming down her face and she pulled over, crumpling in her seat, realising that what she'd hoped would be a silly insecure idea, she pushed to the back of her mind as it would never happen, had become her reality._

* * *

 _30_ _th_ _March_

After 15 minutes of sitting in the car crying her heart out, Laura took a deep breathe and straightened her back, wiping her tears away. She felt numb, like this was some horrible nightmare she was stuck in and couldn't wake up from, but she knew she had to focus, Zak needed her right now, she could process all of this later.

"Let's go see Zak" Laura said, turning around to Katie and tickling her foot.

"Dadda?" Katie asked confused.

"Not right now princess" Laura replied biting her lip to stop herself crying again. She needed to make herself presentable, it wouldn't help the situation if the kids saw her like this. Luckily she had some makeup in her handbag. Pulling the sun visor down, she quickly applied a thin layer of makeup in the mirror and took another deep breath, before restarting the car and heading towards the kid's school.

* * *

 _That evening_

"Where have you been, I was worried sick" Bill said when Laura and the kids entered the house at 8pm.

"Time for bed" Laura told the kids ignoring Bill.

"What the hell's going on?" Bill asked confused, as his entire family walked by him without acknowledging his presence.

"Wait here I'll deal with you later" Laura replied frostily, glaring at him before hitching a sleeping Katie further up on her hip and guiding the kids upstairs.

"Mommy, can we have hugs in your bed?" Zak asked, as they ascended to the second level of the house.

"Yeah sure, you three go into my room, I'll just put Katie in her bed" Laura replied ruffling his hair.

* * *

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Bill asked angrily when Laura finally descended the stairs twenty minutes later.

"Zak got into a fight at school today, he heard us fighting last night and when he was in the playground at lunch one of the kids asked how I was before laughing, and when Zak asked why he said he'd seen you and Carolanne, so he got angry punched him" Laura replied frankly.

"Gods, why didn't you get in contact with me?" Bill asked accusingly.

"I did, I tried to call three times, you didn't answer" Laura yelled at him, "and when on a hunch, I went to your favourite café, I saw you kissing Carolanne".

"Oh gods" Bill whispered, the seriousness of the situation suddenly hitting him, "do the kids know?"

"I sat them all down and explained the situation, I wasn't going to lie to them anymore, and they already knew their mother was back in town. They were devastated, scared and confused, thinking you we're leaving them to be with her, or worse they'd have to live with her again. So I told them that you'd been helping her out and skipped over the bit about this afternoon, there's no need for them to know that you were kissing another woman" Laura said angrily.

"How did this go so wrong, I was just trying to help someone out, I thought I was doing the right thing" Bill replied confused and upset.

"How fracking dare you" Laura screamed, not hearing anything Bill had said and slapping his chest, as the tears began streaming down her face, "I trusted you, and what did you do, you threw it back in my face".

"It wasn't what it looked like, I was in shock and as soon as I realised what was happening, I pushed her away and told her that wasn't what I wanted, that I was in love with you" Bill replied trying to move towards Laura, who began backing towards the kitchen.

"That's not the point Bill, well its part of it, but I tried to tell you that she wanted you back, and you dismissed me, said I was being ridiculous. I berated myself because of that, put myself down, only to find out my worst fears were true, and my husband kissed another woman. It doesn't matter that you stopped it, you shouldn't have been in a position for it to happen in the first place" Laura screamed, her heart breaking again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I love you Laura, you and the kids mean the world to me and I never wanted to hurt you" Bill replied sincerely.

"I think it would be best, if you gave the kids and I some space, and stayed somewhere else, at least for tonight" Laura said solemnly.

"Okay, I'll see if I can stay with Saul, but I'd like to talk sometime tomorrow" Bill replied sadly.

* * *

 _31_ _st_ _March_

Bill returned to the house around midday to find Laura, the kids and Husker in the master bedroom, all snuggled under the covers of their king sized bed.

"Hi" Bill said quietly, getting the attention of his family.

"Hi" Laura replied eyes downcast and her arms tightening around the kids.

"Can we talk?" Bill asked Laura, "I have some apologising to do to you first and then the kids".

"Okay, can you all go to your rooms and Lee can you take your sister to your room please" Laura asked handing Lee Katie, before making herself comfortable in bed again, husker sitting on her lap.

"First off I want to start with saying I'm sorry, I should have listened to you, and taken your concerns into consideration. I guess in my mind I just thought that it wasn't even a remote possibility, and if I spent a lot of time helping her out now, I wouldn't have to later and I could fully focus on our family again" Bill explained regrettably.

"Thank you for realising that, I appreciate that this situation has not been easy on you either" Laura replied softly, scratching Husker behind the ears, "I've had some time to think and process yesterday's events since we last spoke".

"I'd also like to say that I extremely regret hurting you, I meant what I said last night, you're the love of my life and the only women for me. I know I can't, but if I could go two weeks back in time, I would handle this whole situation completely different" Bill said earnestly.

"I do know you love me, that was never a concern I had, mainly the trust and communication between us has broken down, and will take some time to repair, but I'm willing to work on that with you, to get back to where we used to be. That's not to say though that I'm not still extremely angry or hurt, I am, but I realise that kind of energy is not good for the kids and isn't productive" Laura replied tears beginning to fall, as her emotions overwhelmed her.

"Could I give you a hug?" Bill asked, his heart breaking at the sight in front of him.

"I don't think I'm ready for that yet" Laura said sadly, grabbing a tissue to wipe away her tears.

"Okay" Bill replied in a near whisper.

* * *

Forty minutes later the pair rounded up the children and were sitting in the living room, Katie on Laura's lap, the older kids sitting next to her on the couch, while Bill sat in one of the nearby arm chairs.

"I want to apologise to the four of you, for not being honest and for upsetting all of you. I explained to your mother earlier, that I arranged with Carolanne's lawyer this morning, to have someone else come and help her move. Luckily she's also the personal assistant of one of the women moving to the new building downtown, so I won't be seeing her at work, after a few weeks either" Bill said clarified, looking solemnly towards his family.

"Are you and Mommy going to get divorced?" Lee asked concerned.

"No buddy, not at all. I love your mother very much, I just made some silly mistakes, but you learn from your mistakes and you become better because of them" Bill replied confidently.

"Okay, but you still have to take us to the park and play pyramid with us" Zak said, in his own way extending an olive branch.

"Sure bub, I can take you tomorrow if you'd like" Bill replied, happy at least one of his children, was slowly starting to forgive him, "there will still however be consequences for you Zak, you can't just hurt someone because they hurt you".

"I know, Mommy already told me off heaps last night" Zak commented sighing, as he thought back to the lecture he'd received.

"Dadda" Katie said crawling off the couch and towards her father, just glad to have him around to spend time with her.

"Hey princess" Bill replied smiling and lifting her onto his lap, squeezing her tight in his arms.

"Will you help me finish my science project?" Lee asked hopefully, not having asked Bill recently for the fear he'd say he was too busy.

"Of course, we'll get started this afternoon" Bill replied smiling at his eldest son.

"Can you and I go and see the new battlestar exhibition next weekend?" Kara asked her eyes lighting up.

"Absolutely, I'll see if someone at work can get us some special access passes" Bill replied excitedly, "Whatever you four want to do, within the reason of course, I'm happy to do. I am going to spend so much time with all of you, you'll be begging me to leave you alone".

* * *

"What are you doing?" Laura asked Bill, when she found him in the linen closet later that night.

"Getting some sheets and a pillow to make up the couch" Bill replied reaching to the top shelf, where the backup sheets were kept.

"Put them away, you'll have a sore back if you sleep on the couch, you can sleep in our bed, this is still your home" Laura said motioning for him to follow her to their bedroom.

"Thank you" Bill replied smiling softly.

"I don't think either of us would be able to sleep, knowing the other was somewhere else in the house" Laura said placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Still thank you" Bill replied entering their bedroom. He was immensely grateful that the children and Laura had allowed him a chance to prove he could do better than he had over the past few weeks, so for the rest of the day he spent as much time as possible with his children, letting them know how important they were to him.

"The twins are moving if you'd like to feel them" Laura offered once she was settled in bed.

"I'd love to" Bill replied hopping in bed beside her and placing a hand softly on her stomach, "wow, feels like they're doing somersaults in their".

"They've been very active today" Laura said smiling, glad to feel like she had her partner back.

* * *

PLEEEAAASE review!


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you to ramsevienna, AdamaGirl, PythianProphecy, jacilenemns and the six guests for reviewing, I loved hearing your thoughts on the last chapter :)

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _13_ _th_ _April_

The last couple weeks had been uncomfortable to say the least. While Laura and Bill had been putting on a brave face in front of the kids, behind closed doors it was a completely different story. Although they still shared a bed, Laura would remain at the edge of her side of the bed the entire night, avoiding any physical contact with Bill, and bottling up all her emotions.

Until one day, Bill placed a hand on Laura's shoulder as he passed through the living room, and Laura suddenly exploded, wrenching her body away from Bill's grasp and screaming at him. Her emotions pouring out, in a string of expletives and explanations as to how hurt she was.

Within a five minute time period, she went from sitting calmly on the couch, reading a book, to screaming at Bill and then sitting back on the couch sobbing.

Luckily the kids were at the movies with their grandparents, so they missed the whole ordeal, and only realised something was amiss when they arrived home to find their Dad missing, called into work their mother explained.

It was after that incident they realised there were some issues they needed to work through, so they sought out the help of a couples therapist, to give themselves a controlled and calm environments ent to air their grievances.

They spent the next four weeks attending six counselling sessions, which helped immensely with mending their relationship and getting to the root of some of their problems. Laura hadn't realised until the councillor asked the question, how much resentment and hurt she still held within herself, over the incident with Carolanne and how much the death of her family was still affecting her, especially in her fear of losing people.

Following their progress in the sessions, the counsellor suggested they spend an evening together, just the two of them, out on a date. So Bill booked a table at one of their favourite restaurants for Saturday night, and they arranged with Evelyn and Joseph to look after the kids for the night.

* * *

 _28_ _th_ _April_

"You look breathtaking" Bill said when Laura walked down the stairs, dressed in a flowy V neck burgundy lace dress with 3/4 sleeves, that feel to her knees.

"Thank you, you look very handsome" Laura replied admiring the way his suit fit his frame.

"I booked the table for 7:30pm so we should probably get going now" Bill said not taking his eyes of Laura, awed at how beautiful she looked, especially with her pronounced baby bump.

"Okay, I just need to grab my clutch, I left it in the kitchen" Laura replied smiling.

* * *

"Here's your table" the matradee said bringing the couple to a secluded table that overlooked the waterfront.

"Thank you" Laura replied, smiling when Bill pulled out her chair for her, before seating himself.

"You're waiter will be with you shortly" the matradee added, before placing menus in front of the pair.

"I never get tired of this view, it's beautiful" Laura commented looking at the harbour lights shinning in the water.

"Neither do I" Bill replied staring at Laura, adoration in his eyes. Laura blushed when she realised where his gaze was directed and smiled bashfully, fiddling with her napkin.

"I'm glad we have this time together, it's nice to be able to talk to each other without one of the kids interrupting because they need/want something, and to eat dinner past 6:30 at night" Laura said chuckling.

"I know, it's hard to get a moment alone in our house, and that's only going to get harder once the twins arrive, but I think it would be good for us to make time for ourselves, maybe have a date night every month" Bill replied hopefully.

"That would be nice, we've worked on a lot in the last few weeks and although we are much stronger than we were a month ago, I'd like us to get back to the place we were at a couple of months ago" Laura said smiling.

"I'm glad" Bill replied grasping her hand in his and running his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Hi my name is Tim, I'll be you're waiter for tonight, what can I get you tonight?" their waiter asked interrupting the couples moment.

"Could we have bruschetta to share and two glasses of orange juice to start please" Bill said already knowing what Laura would want, especially with her craving for oranges lately.

"Certainly, what would you like for mains?"

"I'll have the spinach and ricotta ravioli boscaiola for mains" Laura said her eyes lighting up.

"And I'll have the BBQ braised brisket" Bill added handing the waiter the menus.

"When was the last time we had dinner out alone together?" Laura asked once the waiter left.

"Oh gods, it must have been for your birthday last year" Bill replied, struggling to think of another time.

"Well we'll have to work that into our date nights, I love having the kids around, but sometimes it's nice to just spend some time together as adults, not Mom and Dad" Laura said with a soft smile.

* * *

"This looks so good, finally something other than roast chicken, chicken fingers, mince or lasagna" Laura said excitedly.

"Hey, I thought you loved my lasagna" Bill exclaimed cheekily.

"Oh I do, I just wish the kids would eat more pasta style dishes than just lasagna and bolognas" Laura replied chuckling.

"I know, I'm salivating a little" Bill replied laughing, "I'm also glad I don't have to share any of my food with four young children".

"Dessert all to ourselves, I'm so excited" Laura said her eyes growing wide.

"Well you can order whatever kind you like and I promise to let you have a bit of mine too" Bill replied smiling.

* * *

"My feet are killing me" Laura complained as the pair entered their house. After they'd finished dinner, the couple headed down to the waterfront where they walked hand in hand for the next half an hour, and although it had been beautiful, Laura was slightly regretting the adventure now.

"Go sit on the couch, I'll just put the extra brownie away and the give your feet a rub" Bill replied running a hand softly down her back.

"Thank you" Laura said taking her shoes off and sitting in the couch, before lying down and placing her feet in Bill's lap when returned to the living room.

"That feels so good" Laura groaned a blissful expression on her face, as Bills hands magically fit rid of the pain.

"I'm glad, anything I can do to help my pregnant wife, how are the munchkins doing?" Bill asked working his fingers deep into the arch of her foot.

"Good, they were pretty active at dinner, but I think the walk lulled them into sleep" Laura replied resting a hand atop her stomach, before a comfortable silence overtook the room.

"I love..." Bill started before realising Laura had fallen asleep. Smiling he placed a blanket over her and began closing the house up for the night.

* * *

 _29_ _th_ _April_

"Good morning" Bill said when Laura's eyes fluttered open the next morning.

"Morning" Laura replied stretching her arms above her head, before looking at her surroundings and asking "oh I feel asleep, did you carry me upstairs?"

"You may be pregnant with twins, but you're still light as a feather" Bill said knowning just how to make his wife feel good about herself.

"Charmer" Laura replied rolling her eyes while smiling, "I'm the size of a whale st the moment and only 25 weeks pregnant".

"Trust me you still as beautiful as they day I met you" Bill said picking her hand up and kisssing it softy.

"What time did you tell your parents we were picking the kids up?" Laura asked changing the subject.

"I told Mom we would be by around 11am" Bill replied, "so there's plenty of time to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet, how does breakfast in bed sound, I'll cook?"

"Devine" Laura said smiling brightly and sitting up in bed.

* * *

"Mamma, Dadda" Katie squealed excitedly when her parents came to pick the kids up.

"Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?" Laura asked Katie excitedly, lifting the little girl into her arms.

"Ya" the little girl replied beaming.

"Dad, Mum, come look at what we built with Grandpa" Kara said rushing inside and the straight back out to where her brothers were putting the finishing touches on a model rocket.

"I hope they weren't too much trouble" Laura told Evelyn as they went outside to see the kids creation.

"Not at all, Jospeh and I love having them over, plus I hope it gave you and Bill a chance to reconnect, I know my son has made some silly mistakes recently, but his heart is always in the right place, and Carolanne was never anything but trouble" Evelyn replied smiling softly.

"Thank you it did, it was nice to have some one on one time, since we hardly ever get any, and it's only going to get harder when the twins are here" Laura said genuinely thankful to Bills parents.

"I'm glad" Evelyn replied placing a comforting hand on Laura's shoulder.

* * *

Feedback is aaaamaaaazzzinng! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you to jacilenemns, AdamaGirl, walkerdude1 and the four guests for reviewing, you're all amazing!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _5_ _th_ _May_

"Morning Mommy" Zak said when Laura walked into the kitchen, Katie perched on her hip.

"Morning bub, do you want some more milk in your cereal?" Laura asked noticing there was spilt milk on the counter, and Zak had a trickle of milk with a large amount of rice bubbles.

"Umm yes please" Zak replied holding out his bowl, before proudly adding "I made it all by myself".

"You did, good job Bub" Laura said smiling at the young boy. Recently they had been encouraging him to take the initiative to feed himself breakfast as long as it didn't require any actual cooking.

"Thanks" Zak replied happily.

"Give me on second to get your sister settled and then I'll get you some more milk" Laura said placing Katie in her high chair.

"Where are Kara and Lee?" Laura asked as she poured milk into his cereal.

"They're outside playing with Husker" Zak replied while munching on his cereal, "they've already had food".

"I can see that" Laura said looking at the bench, which was covered in crumbs and open jam jars.

"Ooood Mamma" Katie said banging her hands on the tray of her high chair.

"What do you say?" Laura asked Katie with a raised eyebrow.

"Peeease" the little girl replied grinning.

"Good girl" Laura said placing a handful of cheerios and a few strawberries, cut into bitesize pieces, on the tray.

"Tankks Mamma" Katie replied shoving a strawberry into her mouth.

"Good morning" Bill said wondering into the kitchen and over to where Laura was placing two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Morning" Laura replied craning her neck back, to peck him on the lips.

"How are you all doing this morning?" Bill asked, running a hand gently down Laura's back and grabbing a coffee mug.

"Good, I made my cereal myself Dad" Zak stated proudly.

"Did you? That's great bub, you're growing up so fast, you're nearly my age" Bill said smiling, as he praised the young boy.

"I'm not that old Dad, I'm only seven" Zak replied as if his Dad was being ridiculous.

* * *

"Aunty Marcy" Zak said running up and throwing himself in Marcy's arms, when she arrived to set up for Laura's baby shower later that day.

"Hey Bub" she replied squeezing him tightly, "how are you doing?"

"Good, we get to have a party today for the babies" Zak said excitedly, before rummaging through the boxes and bags she'd placed near the coffee table.

"No you don't cheeky" Marcy replied picking up the bags, "you get to find out later on with everyone else".

"Hi Marcy" Laura said walking into the living room, Katie toddling closely behind.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Marcy asked giving her friend a hug.

"Not too bad, I haven't been sleeping well and I seem to have pregnancy brain on steroids, but other than that I feel pretty good" Laura replied cheerfully.

"And how are you miss Katie?" Marcy asked crouching down, so she was eyelevel with the little girl.

"Goob" Katie replied shyly, wrapping her arms around one of her mother's legs.

"Ellen's just changing Samuel upstairs, if you want to place your bags on the kitchen table for the moment, we can go outside and see how Bill and Saul are going with the barbecue" Laura said smiling.

"Sure sounds good, we don't have to start setting up for another forty-five minutes" Marcy replied following Laura outside.

"Doggy" Katie said when they got outside, running towards where Kara and Lee were playing fetch with Husker.

"How are the kids taking to the responsibility of a dog?" Marcy asked watching Katie pounce on top of Husker, who immediately began liking her face.

"Lee and Kara are actually doing really well, it's just this little munchkin we're having trouble with" Laura replied ruffling Zak's hair as he ran past her.

"Well two out of three isn't too bad" Marcy replied laughing.

"The main issue we're having is trying to stop Katie drinking out of Husker's water bowl" Laura replied chuckling.

"The joys of parenthood" Marcy said good naturedly, looking over her shoulder to see Ellen and Samuel step onto the patio.

* * *

By 12:30pm Evelyn and Joseph, Elosha, Abigail and Larry, as well as Cheryl and David had arrived for the party. The weather was beautiful, with a bright blue sky and a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so they had opened up the sliding doors from the living room out to the back patio, and decorated the area with green and yellow balloons, streamers and a banner which read two peas in a pod. They had also prepared a variety of salads, dips, barbequed meats and a cake, both chocolate and vanilla flavoured, which looked like a baby carriage.

In addition for the kids enjoyment they had purchased a onesie shaped piñata, which was filled with an assortment of lollies and chocolates.

"When can we do the piñata?" Kara asked jumping up and down in front of Laura eagerly.

"You've got to wait until we've had some lunch, then we'll do it" Laura replied smiling at the child's excitement, "I think Daddy's nearly finished grilling all the meat, if you want to help him and Uncle Saul bring it inside".

"Okay" Kara replied eagerly, running outside and tapping on Bill's leg.

"She's such an upbeat child" Ellen commented, "especially in comparison to her temperament a few months ago".

"I know, she's definitely got a spark, and one hell of a fiery personality" Laura replied with adoration for the young girl.

* * *

"We're going to play things 'n pairs, I'm going to say a word, and the person to correctly guess its pair first, gets a point. The person with the most points at the end of the game, wins bragging rights and a six pack of double mint gum" Marcy said gathering the group into the living room, before starting the game off shouting "socks".

"Shoes" Elosha replied quickly.

"Salt".

"Pepper" Saul said eagerly.

The game continued on with hot and cold, Batman and Robin, knife and fork, king and queen, bacon and eggs, bread and butter, soap and water, and finally bucket and spade. Surprisingly Saul was the winner, guessing six out of the ten right, before anyone else even had a chance to open their mouths. Chuckling he told them all he had been watching a lot of old games shows while trying to get Samuel to sleep at night.

"Okay kids, we have a scavenger hunt for you. I've hidden five miniature toy elephants, giraffes, lions, monkeys and pandas around the house and in the backyard, whoever can find one of each and bring them back to show me first, will get to have the first swing at the piñata" Laura said excitedly, the kids all bouncing up onto their feet enthusiastically.

"Okay on my count, one, two, three". The kids began running around the house, squealing in excitement and looking in every nook and cranny.

* * *

Three hours later the shower was over and the living room was filled with presents and mess. Marcy gave the twins a t-shirt each, one with an arrow pointing upwards which read born first, the other with an arrow pointing sideways which said show off. Evelyn and Joseph presented the couple with a double stroller, which also came with an additional toddler seat and extension. Elosha gave the pair two bath time hampers, which included a hooded towel, matching muslin wrap and face cloth, as well as a plush giraffe, or a plush monkey. Saul and Ellen bought two Rock 'N Play's one bear themed, the other elephant themed, while Cheryl and David gifted the couple an elegant photo album ready to be filled with pictures of the twins first year. Finally Abigail and Larry gave the twins a dog shaped night light and a baby book giftset.

"It was a lovely day to have the baby shower both inside and out" Evelyn commented to Laura, as they placed the leftovers into containers, while the kids, Bill and Joseph packed up the tables and chairs used for the shower.

"It was, we really lucked out with the weather" Laura replied placing the container of potato salad in the fridge.

"Mommy, we finished stacking the chairs, can we have some more lollies now?" Zak asked running inside eagerly, Lee and Kara following closely behind.

"Sure" Laura replied grabbing the plastic bowl, located on the bench, which was full of candy from the piñata, "remember Husker can't have any chocolate or lollies".

"We promise we won't give him any" Kara piped up while grabbing a handful of candy, before running back outside.

"They're going to be bouncing of the walls for the next few hours" Evelyn commented chuckling.

"Gods, I think I might just let Bill take care of getting them to bed tonight" Laura replied with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

* * *

Laura sat down on the couch, half sighing half groaning, in relief. It had been a long day and carrying an extra 25 pounds was starting to cause her back and feet to ache.

"Mumma up" Katie said standing in front of the couch, her arms held out in front of her.

"What do you say?" Laura asked the little girl.

"Peewease" Katie replied smiling.

"Good girl" Laura said lifting the girl onto the couch, and then lying down, Katie nestled into her side.

"Tanks" Katie replied, placing her thumb in her mouth and closing her eyes.

"How are my girls doing?" Bill asked walking into the living room, after putting the last of the decorations away.

"Good, glad the day's events have come to a close though" Laura replied, running her fingers through Katie's fine strawberry blonde hair.

"I think someone is ready for bed" Bill commented, "how about we get you a sandwich and then go night night pumpkin".

"But we're comfy aren't we munchkin?" Laura said kissing the top of Katie's head, "give us five more minutes".

"Sure, I'll go get you both something to each, got make sure my girls are looked after" Bill replied kissing Laura and the Katie.

"Where are the rest of our unruly bunch?" Laura asked smiling up at Bill.

"Working off their sugar high in the back yard, by playing pyramid, with the addition of Husker trying to catch the ball" Bill replied chuckling.

"Hopefully that will tire them out enough to go to bed at a respectable time" Laura said laughing.

"Fingers crossed" Bill replied squeezing her hand lovingly, before heading towards the kitchen.

* * *

PPPPLLLEEASE review :)


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you to jacilenemns, AdamaGirl, Kyla and the six guests for reviewing, I loved reading your reviews!

Reminder: We have around another five chapters before the birth, and 38 reviews to hit the 140 target for the competition :)

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _19_ _th_ _April_

"What did you do at school today?" Laura asked Kara and Zak, when she picked them up that afternoon.

"We cut out red paper hearts for Eros Day, and then Miss Williams asked us to place them on the desks of our friends, and I got twelve" Zak replied excitedly, holding up all of the paper hearts.

"That's wonderful bub, did you get some too Kara?" Laura asked, hitching Katie higher up onto her hip.

"I got eight" Kara replied distractedly as she bounced along the pavement, making sure she didn't step on any cracks.

"Well I already knew you were both very loveable" Laura said smiling, before putting a hand on Kara's shoulder to slow the girl down, as they reached Lee's classroom.

"Ee eee" Katie squealed when she saw her brother, waiting with his backpack outside his classroom.

"Hey Katie" Lee replied ticking his youngest sister, causing her to burst into a fit of laughter.

Laura smiled at the exchange before asking, "are you all ready to head home now?" as she lead them towards the car.

"Yep" they all chorused together, before Lee asked "can we make cookies when we get home?"

"Sure, I'll have to check we have all the ingredients, but if we do definitely" Laura replied ruffling the boys hair.

"Yes cookies" Zak shouted enthusiastically.

* * *

"Oh hello, what are you doing home? I wasn't expecting you for another couple hours" Laura said when she and the kids arrived home, to find Bill waiting for them in the foyer.

"I thought I'd surprise you with dinner. I know we said we weren't going to go out for Eros day, because you're feeling uncomfortable at the moment, but I thought we could have a nice dinner in, so I've hired a chef to cook us a three course meal. Mom and Dad are also going to look after the kids for a few hours" Bill replied smiling.

"Honey, you didn't have to go to all this effort" Laura said, placing Katie on the ground, who immediately toddled over to Bill, her arms stretched out wide.

"I know, but I wanted to, you deserve to have special romantic dinners every once in a while" Bill replied picking up Katie, before stepping towards the kids and adding "my parents will be here in an hour, I've placed a bag in each of your rooms for you to put whatever toys you want to take to your grandparents".

"What about clothing, they need to wear something" Laura asked confused.

"I figured they would get distracted by toys, so I already packed their pyjamas and a couple changes of cloths" Bill replied chuckling.

"Of course, you do always think ahead" Laura said smiling.

* * *

Two hours later, the couple had showered and redressed into causal clothing, and dinner was ready to be served. "Here you go Mrs Adama" Bill said pulling out a seat for Laura, at the small linen covered table he'd placed on the patio.

"Thank you, this is gorgeous" Laura replied sitting down and looking at the fairy lights strung around them, as well as the candles adorning the table, "you really have pulled out all the stops".

"I'd do anything to make you feel special" Bill said sitting down and clasping their hands together over the table.

"I love you" Laura replied smiling softly at him.

"I love you too. I hope you're hungry, the chef should be here any minute with our first course" Bill said, just as the chef walked out onto the patio.

"Antipasto garlic bread for you ma'am and for you sir chargrilled zucchini, marinated feta and spring pea bruschetta" the chef, Michael, said placing their entrée's in front of the couple.

"This looks and smells amazing, thank you" Laura replied smiling at the Michael gratefully.

"I can't wait to try this, the guys at work have been raving about the Michael's cooking for the past few weeks, but I haven't had the time to go round the corner to try anything yet" Bill said grabbing his knife and fork.

"Me either, plus it's nice to have a quiet meal by ourselves in our own home, it doesn't happen very often" Laura replied excitedly.

"I know, it's nice for a change, as we very rarely seem to have dinner by ourselves at home" Bill said, before looking over at Husker, who was lying on the edge of the patio and adding, "well we're not completely alone".

"Come here husker" Laura said clicking her fingers together when she saw the puppy looking at her longingly. Usually they wouldn't feed him at the table, or at least they told the kids not to, even though they did all the time, but Husker knew to stay away from the dining table, if she and Bill were eating alone. However, him looking up at her with his big brown eyes melted her heart, and she couldn't help but feel compelled to treat the puppy, even if only with a little bit of cheese from Bill's bruschetta.

* * *

"Now I know you have been craving cinnamon donuts and chocolate the last couple days, so I have a surprise for you for dessert" Bill said, walking out onto the patio, his hands behind his back.

"Whatever it is, it smells divine" Laura replied her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Ta da" Bill said placing a tray of churros with warm chocolate dipping sauce in front of her.

"Oh my gods, this looks amazing, I'm so excited" Laura replied immediately grabbing a churro and dipping it in the chocolate sauce, ensuring she had a thick coating, before taking her first bite and moaning in pleasure.

"Good?" Bill asked already knowing the answer, from just looking at her dreamy expression.

"Gods yes, I've never tasted anything so good before" Laura replied grabbing another churro and coating it in a thick layer of chocolate.

"Do you want some?" Laura asked around a mouthful of food.

"No it's okay, I asked Michael to make these especially for you" Bill replied smiling.

"Are you sure?" she asked wanting to give him one last chance, before she devoured the remaining churros and chocolate.

"Absolutely, enjoy sweetheart" Bill replied, "Michael is going to bring me out a caramel tart soon anyway, and yes you can have some of it too".

* * *

"Thank you Michael" Laura said as the chef cleared the table.

"Your welcome ma'am" he replied smiling politely.

"I know we've already given each other the customary Eros day cards, but I have a little something extra for you" Bill said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a thin rectangular jewellery box.

"I may have gotten you something too, just let me go grab it" Laura replied grinning and waddling inside.

"Happy Eros day" Laura said placing an elegantly wrapped gift in front of Bill, when she returned.

"Sweetheart this is amazing" Bill replied, unwrapping the present to find a silver chronograph watch, with a wide link wristband.

"You mentioned you're old watch was starting to look a little worn, so I thought this would be a good present. Oh and look on the back" Laura said smiling.

"Our anniversary" Bill replied looking at the engraving, "thank you sweetheart, now open yours".

"Bill" Laura gasped opening the jewellery box which contained a sterling silver, 18k rose gold plated bracelet with six rose quartz circles, "it gorgeous".

"There's a stone for each one of our kids, both at their grandparents and in utero" Bill replied getting up out of his seat, and lifting the bracelet out of the box, before placing it on her wrist.

"Thank you honey" Laura said placing a hand on the back of his neck, and rising up to kiss him softly.

"You're welcome" Bill replied wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What do you say, how about we take this upstairs?" Laura asked with a sultry smile.

"I'd love to" Bill replied fusing their mouths together, before grabbing her hand and heading inside.

* * *

"Mommy" Zak said excitedly running to hug Laura, when she and Bill arrived to pick up the kids the next day.

"Hey bub, how are you?" Laura replied, squeezing him as tight as she could, with her ever growing stomach in the way.

"Good, Grandma cooked chicken enchiladas for dinner, and we had banana sundaes for dessert" Zak said jumping up and down excitedly.

"Did you now, well I'm sure it was delicious" Laura replied smiling.

"It was Mommy, you and Daddy really missed out" Zak said seriously.

Suddenly Kara came running down the stairs and flung herself into Bill's arms, exclaiming "Daddy" happily.

"Hey Starbuck, have you been a good girl for Grandma and Grandpa?" Bill asked lifting her into the air.

"Of course" Kara replied mischievously.

"Where's Lee and Katie?" Laura asked the pair.

"Hi you two, they're outside playing in the new sandbox with Grandpa" Evelyn replied smiling.

"Come on Dad, Zak and I will show you where the sandpit is" Kara said wriggling down from her fathers grasp, and running outside with Zak.

"That's a gorgeous bracelet" Evelyn commented upon spotting the new sparkling item adorning Laura's right wrist.

"Thank you, Bill gave it to me last night" Laura replied admiring the bracelet.

"I'm glad you two seem to be getting back on track" Evelyn said sincerely.

"Me too" Laura replied with a soft smile.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you to AdamaGirl, PythianProphecy, walkerdude1, and the four guests for reviewing, I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _29_ _th_ _April_

"Now remember you can't cross the yellow taped lines upstairs from tomorrow morning, because the builders are going to start working on Lee's new room" Laura reminded the kids during dinner.

"But what if we really need to get something and it's on the other side of the tape?" Zak asked, trying to think of a way to get around the new rule.

"Nothing of yours will be over the yellow tape, but if for some reason something is, you need to come ask Mommy or Daddy to help you retrieve it" Laura informed Zak seriously.

"Okay" Zak replied sighing and grabbing another slice of pizza.

"When are the builders getting here?" Lee asked curiously.

"They're coming at 9am, therefore your Dad will drop you off at school tomorrow, so I can be home to let them in" Laura replied rubbing her stomach gently, as the twins started soccer practice with her intestines.

"Okay, but can you still come pick us up? I want to show you the history project I got an A+ on" Lee asked hopefully.

"Sure, I only need to let them in tomorrow, so I can show them where to set up and give them a temporary set of keys" Laura replied smiling at her eldest son.

* * *

 _30_ _th_ _April_

"Good morning" Laura said letting Callie and her team into the house.

"Hewoo" Katie added from beside her mother, waving at the new arrivals to her home.

"Morning, how are you? Ready to get your renovations started?" Callie replied stepping through the doorway, carrying a multitude of tools.

"Absolutely, I'm looking forward to getting the nursery ready, and ticked off my list of things to do before the twins arrive" Laura said running a hand over her ever growing stomach.

"Well we'll get set up and started straight away, hopefully in a month's time you'll have your house back to yourself" Callie replied cheerfully.

"Sounds good, I'll make sure Katie is securely in her play pen in my study, so she can't get into any mischief around you" Laura said chuckling.

"Come on pumpkin" Laura said lifting Katie into her arms, and walking into the study.

"Do you want to play with your dolls?" Laura asked placing Katie inside her playpen and pointing excitedly to the mountain of dolls in the corner.

"No, Mama out" Katie demanded lifting her arms up.

"Mommy's got work to do pumpkin, you can play with your train and passengers though, if you want to" Laura offered enthusiastically, looking back to the pile of work she needed to get done.

"Otay" Katie replied reaching for the toy and immediately falling into her own little world.

* * *

"Woah, what's behind the tarp?" Kara asked her eyes wide, when the kids raced upstairs after school, to check on the renovation's progress.

"The builders have knocked down part of the wall, and are building the structure for the extension, the tarps are there to stop the wind and rain coming into the house too much" Laura explained watching them closely to ensure they didn't get in the way of the builders, or try to take a closer look at the construction.

"There's no wall there? What if a mountain Lion gets inside?" Zak asked slightly shocked and perplexed.

"Well there aren't any mountain Lion's in Caprica City, so we should have any incidents" Laura replied chuckling.

"Oh okay, I guess we're okay then" Zak concluded starting to lose interest.

"Come on, why don't you all play outside while I grab you all some juice, as well as some fruit and chocolate chip cookies, for afternoon tea" Laura said spotting an opportunity to move them onto a different activity, "I'm sure Husker would love to play fetch".

"Okay, can we have some of the mangos, strawberries and pineapples we got on the way home, oh and some fruit juice?" Kara asked, her eyes lighting up.

"We sure can, I'll make you all some fruit skewers, a plate of cookies and a jug of fruit juice, which you can have outside on the patio" Laura replied smiling and motioning for the kids to follow her downstairs.

* * *

 _23rd May_

"When will our rooms be done?" Kara asked, as she and Laura stood in front of the counter, at their favourite ice cream parlour. Laura had decided to take Kara on a girl's day out, just the two of them, and as Kara was starting to grow out of her clothes, Laura decided it was the perfect opportunity to go shopping and spend some quality with the young girl.

"Daddy and Uncle Saul are going to paint and redecorate all of your rooms at the same time, so next weekend you'll all have a sleepover together in the living room, while the paint dry's and the furniture is moved around" Laura explained, as she surveyed the ice cream flavours in front of her.

"Okay, can I have chocolate and rainbow?" Kara asked excitedly.

"Sure" Laura replied pulling Kara into her side, and asking "could we please have one waffle cone, with a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of rainbow, as well as a cup with one scoop of caramel?"

"Do you like the clothes we bought?" Laura asked, as the pair sat down with their ice cream.

"Yeah, they're really cool. Thank you for taking me shopping Mommy" Kara replied shyly, testing the waters to see how Laura would respond to the word.

"I'm glad, it's nice to spend time together without the boys around, and have some girl time" Laura replied smiling and taking a bite of her ice cream.

"Yeah, they're good an all, but they can be really annoying sometimes" Kara said rolling her eyes, before continuing to eat her ice cream.

"Yes they can, but one day you might not find them all annoying" Laura replied chuckling.

"I doubt it" Kara said sceptically.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, the extension slowly came together and Bill and Saul spent a weekend redecorating Kara's room with teal paint, a be you be brave sign, as well as a coral doona cover, red, white a blue camel sheets and a matching rug. Zak's room was decorated with navy blue paint, matching sheets and pillow, as well as a viper doona cover and miniature vipers scatted around the room, as well as painted on the ceiling. Finally Lee's new room was decorated in the colours of his favourite pyramid team, the Caprica Buccaneers, with pyramid balls painted on the walls, and a new pyramid doona cover.

 _30th May_

"Okay, make sure all of your eyes are closed" Laura said as she and Bill led the children up the stairs, and towards their renovated bedrooms.

"On my count, when I say three you can open your eyes" Bill added lifting Katie into his arms, "one, two…..three".

"Woah" the children exclaimed together, as they looked around excitedly at the new play area/entertainment room, and their newly decorated rooms.

"This is so cool" Zak exclaimed, running into his room and staring in wonder at the transformation.

"Beanbags yes! Can we watch a movie tonight up here and use the new entertainment area?" Lee asked running from his room to the entertainment area.

"Sure, Uncle Saul and I tested everything this morning, so it should all be good to go" Bill replied, before looking over to Laura and smiling, loving how excited the kids were.

"Yes!" the kids exclaimed happily, jumping up and down.

"Look at my room Kara it's sooooo cool" Zak said pulling Kara into his room.

"I think they like it" Laura said to Bill, nestling into his side.

"I think they do" Bill replied kissing the top of her head.

* * *

Please review, pretty please! with a cherry on top :)


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you to PythianProphecy, jacilenemns and the seven guests for reviewing, it's great you're all still sticking with this story!

I'm so sorry this chapter was posted way after I intended, but unfortunately RL has been crazy recently, and I haven't had a chance to sit down and focus on writing, hopefully the following updates are out quicker.

Chapter rating: T

 **Warning: Dark themes including death.**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _June_

"Make it stop" Laura moaned as the incessant ringing of Bill's phone filled their room, at two in the morning. At 32 weeks pregnant she was already having enough problems getting to sleep, without added interruptions, and she didn't relish trying to find a comfortable position again.

"I'm getting it, I'm getting it" Bill replied reaching for his phone, "hello?"

"Mum slow down, what happened?" Bill asked sitting up quickly in bed, suddenly wide awake.

"What's going on?" Laura said concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes" Bill replied before hanging up the phone, and getting out of bed.

"Honey, what's going on?" Laura tried again, as Bill frantically looked around the room for the pants he'd discarded earlier.

"Sorry, ummm, that was my Mother, she said my Dad has been rushed to hospital after a suspected heart attack. I'm going to go there now, make sure him and my Mom are okay, do you know where my pants are?" Bill replied breathing heavily.

"Bill honey, breathe, you left your pants in the bathroom after your shower remember" Laura said sliding her legs over the side of the bed and slowly getting up, a hand on her back and one on the bed to stabilise her.

"Oh that's right" Bill replied rushing into the bathroom, and returning with his pants around his knees, as he tried to quickly pull them on.

"Maybe you should get a taxi honey, I don't think you're in the frame of mind to drive" Laura said concerned for Bill, but also aware they shouldn't wake the kids and make a fuss until they knew more, which meant someone had to stay home with them.

"Umm, okay yeah that is probably a good idea" Bill replied finally pulling his pants up and adjusting the belt.

"Here's your wallet and phone" Laura said handing him the objects, which had been left lying on the dresser.

"Oh yeah, those are pretty important. I'm sorry I'm just a little shocked and frantic, I love you" Bill replied kissing her softly, "tell the kid's good morning for me, and that I'm sorry I couldn't take them to school".

"I love you too, will do. Call me when you know more" Laura said clasping his hand, before Bill raced out the door.

* * *

"Where's Daddy?" Zak asked later that morning, when Bill hadn't joined them for breakfast like usual.

"Daddy's at the hospital, Grandpa needed to go there this morning, so Dad went to visit him" Laura explained, she and Bill had decided, after speaking earlier, to explain as best as they could what had happened to Joseph, without worrying the kids too much.

"Is Grandpa okay?" Lee asked worried.

"Yes he's doing well now and the doctors are taking very good care of him. I'll take you all to see him after school today" Laura replied running her hand through Lee's hair.

"Can't we go see him now?" Lee asked, "please".

"Unfortunately not, you have to be at school in an hour and Grandpa would want to you all to go to school" Laura replied

"Okay, but we have to go as soon as we finish school" Lee said hopefully.

"Absolutely, we'll go straight from school to see Grandpa" Laura replied, assuring the boy.

"I'll make him a picture at school, which he can hang up in his room to make him feel better" Zak said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of all the things he could draw.

"That's a great idea Bub" Laura replied kissing the top of his head.

* * *

"Grandpa" the kids squealed upon entering their Grandfather's hospital room.

"You've got to be quiet and careful remember" Laura told the kids, as she followed closely behind with Katie in her pram.

"Oh yeah, hi Grandpa" Zak said quietly.

"Hey you lot, how are you doing?" Joseph asked smiling softly at his grandkids, and patting the sheets beside him, indicating he wanted them to come and sit up with him.

"How are you feeling?" Lee asked once they were all seated comfortably.

"Much better, the nice doctors and nurses have made sure I feel comfortable" Joseph replied thankfully, "now what did you all do today at school?"

"I drew you this" Zak stated proudly holding up his picture of his Grandfather, Lee, Kara and himself playing in a tree.

"Thanks Bub, it's great" Joseph replied happily, examining the picture closely for Zak's benefit.

"Thanks for bringing them over" Evelyn told Laura, as the younger woman came to sit next to her, after placing Katie on the bed next to her brothers.

"Not a problem, I had to practically restrain Lee when we were leaving school, because he was so eager to get to the car and then his Grandfater" Laura replied chuckling.

"Well he and Joseph do seem to have a very close bond" Evelyn replied smiling.

"That they do, how are you doing?" Laura asked placing a hand on Evelyn's arm comfortingly.

"Okay, I was pretty frazzled this morning, but now that he's okay, I'm mainly waiting for Bill to get back with some better food, than they have at the hospital" Evelyn replied jokingly.

* * *

"Okay you four, it's time we headed home, so you can do your homework and have dinner" Laura said an hour and a half later, "say goodbye to your Grandpa, we'll come see him tomorrow after school".

"Bye Grandpa" Lee said hugging Joseph in a fierce embrace.

"Bye buddy, be good for your parents" Joseph replied, squeezing him back, before the other kids took their turn saying goodbye.

"Bye Apa" Katie said getting up on her hands and knees, and wrapping her arms around his neck, before kissing him on the cheek.

"Bye my baby girl, I'll see you soon" Joseph replied hugging her back, and kissing the top of her head.

"Otay" Katie said waving her hand back and forth, before her Grandmother placed her back in her pram.

"Take care of yourself" Laura said kissing Joseph on the check, and giving him a gentle hug.

"You too, can't wait to meet my new grandkids" Joseph replied gesturing to her stomach.

"Me too, hopefully they stop dancing on top of my bladder, so I can have a break for a few minutes" Laura said chuckling.

"I'll see you all at home shortly, how about I pick up some pizzas for dinner?" Bill asked excitedly.

"Yes" the older kids chorused together.

"I guess that's decided then" Laura replied chuckling, "call me when you're on your way home".

"Will do, I love you" Bill said kissing her softly.

"I love you too" Laura replied returning his kiss.

"And I love you four too, don't give you're Mom too much trouble while I'm away" Bill said teasingly.

"We won't" they replied before the group exited the room.

* * *

"Hey honey, have you got the pizza yet? This kids are starting to beg for snacks" Laura asked when he called later that night.

"I uhhh…..umm no, my father passed away fifteen minutes ago" Bill replied quietly.

"What, oh gods, what happened? He was doing really well when the kids and I saw him earlier today" Laura said shocked at the news.

"He was fine, one minute Mom and I were talking to him, the next beeping filled the room and we were told to leave, as a group of nurses and doctors rushed inside" Bill replied confused.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry, look take as long as you need, the kids and I will be fine here, I'll make sure they don't know anything is up, and when you're ready we can tell them together" Laura said sadly.

"Thanks sweetheart, I think I'm just in shock at the moment, and my brain is like just focus on Mom, make sure she's alright, you can worry about everything else later" Bill replied, trying to sound confident.

"Do they know what happened?" Laura asked sitting down on her desk chair, as she tried to process the news.

"Not yet, they're still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong, but they suspect he had a ventricular fibrillation, it's a type of arrhythmia that causes rapid, erratic electrical impulses, leading to your heart not pumping blood, and because his heart was already weakened from the earlier heart attack and damaged with scar tissue, they couldn't restart it again" Bill replied his breath hitching.

"I'm so sorry honey, are you sure you're okay?" Laura asked concerned.

"Actually no, I'm not, oh gods Laura, my father's gone" Bill replied, his voice trembling.

"Okay, maybe sit down and just focus on breathing for a moment, or talk to one of the doctors or nurses, I'm sure they can help you" Laura said trying to be calm enough for the both of them.

"I'll try, I'll call you when I am on my way home" Bill replied distractedly.

* * *

"Daddy, you're home" Kara said excitedly upon Bill's arrival home, as they kids and Laura all came to see him.

"Hi pumpkin, how are you doing?" Bill asked lifting her into his arms.

"Good, Mommy made us pasta for dinner and let us have ice cream for dessert" Kara explained happily.

"That's good, you're Mom and I have something we need to tell you all" Bill said placing the little girl down.

"How about we all go sit in the living room" Laura replied, leading them towards the couch.

"What's going on?" Lee asked looking back and forth between his parents.

"An hour and a half ago Grandpa passed away, his heart started beating funny, and then stopped, and the doctors couldn't get it to start again" Bill said trying to hold back tears.

"Is he with the gods now?" Zak asked quietly, a tear running down his face.

"Yes bub, he's up there now" Laura replied, pulling him into her side, and kissing the top of his head.

The room was silent for a moment, before Lee yelled "noo, don't lie to me", before running out of the room and up the stairs.

"I'll go talk to him" Bill said getting up and following his eldest son.

...

"Hi Buddy, I know it sucks" Bill commented walking into Lee's room to find him crying on his bed.

"He can't be gone" Lee sobbed into his pillow.

"Awww Buddy come here" Bill replied opening his arms wide.

"I already miss him" Lee cried burying his face in Bill's shoulder.

"Me too, but we just have to remember all the good times we had with him, and not let him be forgotten" Bill replied hugging him tightly, "plus I know he was so proud of you".

"He was?" Lee asked sniffling.

"Absolutely, you should have heard him talk about you, and how you were going to grow up to be just like him" Bill replied softly.

"Why did he have to go?" Lee asked sadly.

"Unfortunately the Gods decided it was his time to go" Bill replied

"It sucks".

"I know it does".

* * *

 _12_ _th_ _June_

The family stood together as Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon' filled the church. Bill's arms were wrapped around his mother and Laura, while the kids were huddled either side. Each member of the family starting with Evelyn walked up to the casket and placed a handful of petals atop, tears streaming down their face, as they said their final goodbye.

* * *

Well...I kinda don't know what to say, but reviews are awesome!


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you to walkerdude1, PythianProphecy, jacilenemns, AdamaGirl and the ten guests for reviewing, it's great you're all still sticking with this story!

Once again I'm so sorry this chapter was posted way after I intended, but RL has been super busy, October happens to be the month where I work non-stop and have my birthday.

 **On a happier note PythianProphecy you are the 140th reviewer and get to choose one of the following:**

 **1\. Read the birth chapter two days before anyone else,**

 **2\. Pick the gender of one of the twins, or**

 **3\. Choose one boy and one girl name for one of the twins.**

 **Drop me a pm with your choice :)**

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _28_ _th_ _June_

It had been two weeks since Joseph's passing, and although his lack of presence was still felt, the family had started to get back to normal. The kids were off on summer vacation, and the family had decided to go away for the week, so they had rented a house on the beach front of a small town called Kingston, about a four hour drive from Caprica City.

"Are we there yet?" Zak asked, sick of being cooped up in the car for the past fours hours, although they'd stopped for lunch and had multiple toilets stops, for Laura's sake.

"Almost bub, the sign up ahead says we're only a couple miles away from Kingston. After that it's just a ten minute drive to the beach house" Laura replied keying the address into the car's navigation system.

"Can we go to the beach this afternoon?" Kara asked eagerly.

"Sure, but we can only go for a little bit, there probably won't be much time until sundown, by the time we arrive and get ready for the beach" Bill replied realistically.

"That's okay, but we have to go as soon as we get there" Kara pleaded.

"We'll see" Laura replied chuckling at her enthusiasm.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the white two story beach house, with four bedrooms, a decent sized kitchen/dining/living room, and a wraparound porch, complete with a swing and direct access to the sea.

"This is awesome" Zak said running around the house excitedly with his siblings.

"I'm glad you guys like it, Zak and Lee, you two can share this room, Kara you can have this room, your Dad and I will take the master, and Katie can go into the room next to ours" Laura explained to the kids, once they'd managed to get them to stand still for a second and listen.

"No rearranging your rooms though, so you can jump from bed to bed" Bill added upon seeing the conspiratorial look pass between his sons.

"Okay" Zak replied sighing, before asking "can we go to the beach then now?"

"Sure, go put on your swimmers and meet me in the living room. Do you want to come too sweetheart?" Bill asked Laura.

"I think I'll stay here with Katie, she needs a nap, and I don't think she's in any mood to properly experience the ocean, plus I'm pretty tired from the trip" Laura replied yawning.

"Okay, I'll grab something for dinner as well while were out, you four rest up" Bill said placing a hand softly atop her stomach and kissing her sweetly.

* * *

The following day they headed down to the beach, introducing Katie to the sea, as although Katie adored swimming, she had only ever swum in pools, so this would be her first experience with the ocean.

Bill picked up Katie and carried her towards the edge of waves, holding her by the hands. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers, as a wave lapped around her feet, and she stomped her feet.

"That's water sweet pea" Bill said reaching a hand down to cup some water and bring it back up for her inspection.

"Ya" Katie squealed excitedly, letting go of her father's hands and splashing her hands in the water, "wata Daddy".

Laura smiled at the sight, from where she was perched nearby. They'd set up a few umbrellas to protect them from the sun, as well as a number of towels and a couple of beach lounge chairs, one especially for Laura, who at her current stage of pregnancy was uncomfortable enough as it was, without having to sit on the sand.

"Watch me Mom, I'm going to catch a wave" Zak said running to the sea with his boogy board in hand.

"I'm watching" Laura replied as she saw him race into the water, and sort of catch a tiny wave near the shore, for maybe a meter, "good job Bub".

"That was awesome" Zak shouted excitedly, before running over to where Lee and Kara were playing Frisbee and saying "come on, do it with me too".

* * *

They spent the rest of the week doing much of the same, just spending time at the beach, relaxing and having some uninterrupted family time. Plus the weather had been beautiful except for that one day, when it had absolutely poured, luckily the kids hadn't been too fussed though about not going outside, and had instead decided to play numerous rounds of hide and seek, and watch some movies, snuggled up next to their parents.

"I like it here, we should come back again, then the twins would get to see it too" Lee commented, as he and Laura lounged on the day bed set out on the patio. Bill, Zak, Kara and Katie had gone to get fish and chips from the a little shop nearby, while Lee decided to stay and keep Laura company.

"That's a good idea, maybe it can become a summer tradition for the family" Laura replied smiling, and running a hand over the top of her burgeoning stomach.

"We can show the twins all the cool places we found down at the beach and near the jetty" Lee said excitedly, already imagining leading the _expedition_.

"Well they might be a bit too young the next couple of years, but after that I'm sure they'll be interested, plus Katie might like exploring with you next year" Laura replied knowing the twins would be just shy of one this time next year.

"Yeah that's true, she was more interested in sitting in the one spot, and just filling her bucket with sand" Lee said as if he couldn't believe she found that fun.

"She wss, but remember only a year ago, she preferred to just lie down and shake her rattle" Laura replied reassuringly.

"Yeah I guess. Oh I can see Dad, Zak, Kara and Katie, coming up the path. I hope they got some crab as well, I loved the piece I had a few days ago" Lee said enthusiastically.

"And with luck your Dad remember to get me some chicken" Laura replied hopefully, unfortunately for her, being pregnant meant that it was best sometimes for her to steer clear of seafood, even if it had been cooked, since she didn't prepare it herself, but she still wanted the rest of the family to enjoy the amazing little fish and chips shop nearby.

* * *

"Back to normality" Bill sighed as he hopped into bed that night. They'd arrived back home around 5pm, and although they had all enjoyed their holiday, it was nice to be back in their own home, but no one could be bothered cooking or cleaning, so that night they decided to order pizza and have an early night.

"Yeah, it was really nice while it lasted, I had a wonderful time" Laura replied settling into bed herself.

"Me too, it was nice to get away and just spend some quality time with you and the kids, especially as the twins will probably be here in a couple weeks" Bill said smiling.

"I know, I'll admit I am a little nervous about all the changes. I'm 35 weeks, which likely means this time next month we'll have two newborns and six kids in total" Laura replied while fiddling with her wedding ring.

"It's going to be a big change, but I'll be with you every step of the way and I'll make sure everything is taken care of, you have enough to do just growing two human beings" Bill said kissing her softly.

"Thank you honey, apart from the fact I have to pee about a thousand times a day, I haven't seen my feet in about three months and the twins are encroaching on all of my organs, I have some comfort in the fact you're here, and you're not going anywhere" Laura replied honestly.

"I love you" Bill said pulling her into his arms, well as much as he could.

"I love you too".

* * *

I know mushy haha, reviews are amazing!


	19. Smiling Chapter 19

Thank you to walkerdude1, Berenakiss2, jacilenemns, AdamaGirl and the three guests for reviewing, it's great reading your feedback!

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _July_

"One, two, three, four, five. Yay I get to go up a ladder" Zak exclaimed moving his piece on the snakes and ladders board.

"Good job, okay my turn" Laura replied grabbing the dice from where she was sitting on the couch in the living room, and gently throwing it atop the board.

"You got a six Mommy, good job" Zak said before looking up and noticing Laura's eyes were wide and her dress was soaked. "Oh no Mommy, did you have an accident? It's okay we all have them from time to time".

"Um actually I think the twins have decided they're ready to be born" Laura replied looking down at the puddle below her, "could you go grab your father, I think he's in the study?"

"Okay" Zak said scrambling up and running toward the study.

"Is everything okay?" Bill asked rushing to Laura's side, "Zak said you needed me urgently".

"The twins are ready" Laura replied gesturing to her lap.

"Oh gods, umm okay, should we go to the hospital? Are you feeling alright, you're only just 37 weeks? Should I call my Mom?" Bill asked in a panic.

"Bill, how can you still be so jumpy?" Laura replied laughing, "You were there for Katie's birth. I'm fine, I just need you to help me get upstairs so I can change. I haven't had any contractions yet, but we should grab my bag and have it ready, I'll call your Mom, if you could clean up the couch for me once I'm done changing".

"Okay sure, I can do that" Bill said helping her up.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Laura had showered, changed into fresh clothes, and called Evelyn, who was delighted her newest grandkids would be arriving soon.

"Your Mom will be over in about an hour, she's going to pick Lee up from pyramid practice and Kara up from her piano lesson on her way" Laura told Bill when he entered their bedroom.

"Sounds good, I've put the cushion in the washing machine, luckily we placed that couch protector beneath the cushions earlier this week, or the couch may have been stained" Bill replied still a little panicked, "I also checked on Katie, who's still sound asleep and Zak's in his room, he wants to see you when you're ready".

"Okay, I'll go see him now, I think he was a little frightened when my waters broke. Oh and honey breath, it's all going to be okay" Laura said resting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Zak, are you okay bub?" Laura asked finding him sitting on his bed, and playing with a set of Lego vipers.

"Yeah, I was just a little worried, because it just suddenly happened and I didn't want to get in the way, and I want you and the babies to be okay" Zak replied quietly.

"Oh bub, we will be, I promise. You did a really good job and you know what? Because I knew you were going to get your Dad, I felt like everything would be alright" Laura said pulling him into her side and kissing the top of his head.

"Really?" Zak asked his eyes wide.

"Really" Laura replied smiling.

* * *

"Grandma says the twins are coming" Lee said excitedly, as he and Kara ran through the front door, finding their mother lying down on the living room couch.

"Yep, they've decided they're ready to meet everybody" Laura replied smiling and sitting up, before patting the now empty spot beside her.

"When are they going to be here?" Kara asked impatiently, "I can't believe I get to be here when my sisters or brothers come".

"They'll probably still be awhile away, babies can take a long time to come, just think about how long they've already been in my tummy. Your Dad is making homemade pizza with Zak, how about you two go and join them?" Laura replied enthusiastically.

"Okay" the pair said their eye's lighting up.

"Did you have to send him away again?" Evelyn asked chuckling.

"Yes, I couldn't relax he was hovering too much" Laura replied laughing.

"How are you feeling dear?" Evelyn asked sitting down besides Laura.

"Pretty good, I've only had a couple of mild contractions, which were about twenty minutes apart. So I'm just trying to relax and rest up, because I know I'm likely going to be exhausted in twenty four hours' time" Laura replied placing her hands atop her stomach.

"That's a wise idea. I've brought an overnight bag, so I can stay here as long as needed until the twins are born" Evelyn said reassuringly.

"Thank you Evelyn, it's a blessing having you here" Laura replied grasping the older woman's hand.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, plus I know Joseph would want me to be here" Evelyn said with a melancholy smile.

* * *

"How are you doing Laura?" Dr Jane Nelson asked her upon entering her hospital room. After having dinner with the children and putting them to bed by 9pm, Laura's contractions steadily grew closer together, so at 10:30pm they headed to the hospital, and wished Evelyn luck with the kids.

"Meh, I'm ready for these two to come out" Laura replied, grimacing as a contraction washed over her.

"Well let's have a look and see how far you've dilated" Jane said examining Laura. "It looks like your six centimetres at the moment, which is two more than when I last checked which is good. I know you two wanted to give birth naturally if possible, and last time I checked, the babies seemed to be in a good position to deliver naturally, but if anything goes wrong during the delivery, I'm going to do an emergency caesarean".

"That's okay, our main priority is that Laura and the babies are safe" Bill replied from besides Laura, where he'd been watching Laura like a hawk.

"Yeah, well you're not the one who is pushing them out of your body, are you? So how about you just keep quiet and let me do all the work" Laura said glaring at Bill.

"He's just trying to be helpful Laura, I'll be back in an hour to check on your progress" Jane replied, before chuckling and adding "don't kill Bill in the meantime".

"I can't promise you anything" Laura said as Jane exited the room.

* * *

Six hours later Laura was fully dilated and she had uttered every expletive known to man, most of them directed towards Bill and his genitalia.

"Okay I think you're ready to push now" Jane said after examining Laura.

"Thank gods" Laura replied her head falling back against the pillow.

"You're doing great sweetheart" Bill said grasping her hand and kissing the side of her head.

"Don't leave me" Laura replied suddenly feeling very vulnerable and squeezing his hand.

"Never".

"On my count, I want you to give me a big push" Jane said positioning herself.

Laura gritted her teeth and bore down as hard as she could, "good girl, keep going you're doing great" Jane commented.

"Gods, I don't know how much longer I can do this" Laura replied letting out a big breath and collapsing back against the bed.

"You're nearly there Laura, on your next contraction give me one big push and your first baby will be here" Jane said encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath Laura clasped Bill's hand tightly and prepared herself, as she felt the contraction begin to wash over her.

Thirty seconds later a high pitched squeal filled the room, and Jane said "congratulations you have yourself a healthy girl, and the time is 5:40am".

"Here you go Mom" Jane added placing the crying infant on her mother's chest. The little girl immediately quietend and looked up with wide eyes.

"She's beautiful" Laura replied examining her youngest daughter.

"I'll get you too cut the cord Dad, and then we can get your newest girl cleaned up and measured" Jane said clamping the umbilical cord and handing Bill a pair of umbilical scissors.

"I'll be right back" Bill replied squeezing Laura's hand and kissing the top of her head.

"While they're looking after you're little girl, I'll examine you and we can see how soon their sibling might come" Jane explained before smiling and adding "looks like it won't be too much longer, probably within the next thirty minutes, they're eager to come and see the world too".

* * *

Twenty long minutes later the second baby came wailing into the world. "And it's a boy, born at 6:01am, you have one of each" Jane said presenting the little boy to Laura and Bill.

"They're perfect" Laura whispered, as she looked between her son and daughter who was in her arms.

"You two have done a good job" Jane replied handing the baby to the nurse Alice, once Bill had cut the cord.

"I love you so much, we've made two amazing kids" Bill said kissing her tenderly.

"I love you too" Laura replied squeezing his hand, and running a finger gently over her daughter's cheek.

"Here you go Mom, I think this ones eager to nurse" Alice said placing the little boy in the crook of her left arm, "Your little girl was five pounds six ounces and 16 inches, and your little boy is six pounds three ounces and 20 inches".

"Have you picked names out yet?" Jane asked the pair.

"We have" Bill replied smiling, "this is Emma Evelyn Adama and this is James Saul Adama".

"Those are lovely names, I'll get your placenta delivered and clean you up, then we'll all leave you along for some much needed rest" Jane said, before noticing the couple were completely engrossed in their new arrivals, and hadn't heard a word she'd said.

* * *

The first thing the next morning, Evelyn brought the kids to the hospital to meet their new brother and sister. They could hardly contain their excitement, and had spent the entire car ride to the hospital asking Evelyn questions and squealing in delight.

"Slow down you three" Evelyn said as she tried to keep up with the boisterous siblings, while carrying Katie.

"Sorry Grandma" Lee replied easing up his pace slightly, as the fivesome rounded the corner and found Laura's hospital room.

"Hi Mommy" Zak said bursting into the room, to find Laura nursing James, while Bill rocked Emma.

"Woah, they're so small" Kara added staring at her parents, blocking the door as Lee tried to enter.

"Hey" Lee said before mussuling his way past his sister.

"Sorry, they couldn't wait to meet their new brother and sister" Evelyn said entering last with Katie.

"That's okay, I missed you guys" Laura replied smiling, before adding "Your Dad and I would like you to meet Emma and James".

"Who dat?" Katie asked pointing at James, from where she was perched on her grandmother's hip, not understanding her mother's announcement.

"This is your baby brother James" Laura replied excitedly, as Evelyn brought Katie over to Laura's bed and placed her down.

"Ee and dak are bwover's" Katie said confused and pointing to Lee and Zak.

"Yes, but now the babies in Mommy's tummy have come out and you have another brother and sister" Laura replied gesturing to Emma and her slightly small stomach.

"Ohhh" Katie said her eyes brows knitting together, as she tried to process the concept, before reaching out a tentative hand to touch James's head and adding "hi baby".

"That's right pumpkin, be nice and gentle" Laura replied encouragingly.

"I missed you this morning" Zak said climbing onto Laura's bed and sitting besides her.

"I missed you too" Laura replied kissing the top of his head, "what do you think of your new brother?"

"He's really small, but I've finally got a younger brother, so once he gets bigger I'm going to show him all the cool places in our house, and teach him all about vipers and space" Zak said, not pausing to take a breath as his excitement overwhelmed him.

"I'm sure he'll love that" Laura replied, "Do you want to hold him?"

"Okay" Zak said tentatively holding out his arms.

"Okay, remember you have to be careful with his head like when Katie was a baby" Laura replied gently placing James comfortably in Zak's arms, as Katie watched in fascination.

"How about I go to the bakery around the corner and get you something for breakfast? I know how bad hospital food can be" Evelyn offered kindly.

"That would be wonderful, thank you" Laura replied gratefully.

Meanwhile Kara was fascinated with Emma, and had climbed onto Bill's lap, before Bill gently placed Emma in her arms.

"She's tiny" Kara commented staring down with wide eyes at Emma.

"She is but she'll grow and before you know it, she'll be running around with you" Bill replied smiling.

"Can I hold her too Dad?" Lee asked eagerly, not wanting to miss out.

"How about we all go and sit on Mom's bed and then we can take turns holding both babies" Bill replied helping Kara place Emma in his arms, before leading the pair over to Laura's bed.

The family ended up with the kids huddled around Laura, as she helped each of the kids hold their siblings, and listened to Zak and Katie's stories of the past twelve hours, while Bill sat at the end of the bed and watched the interaction with a content smile.

* * *

So what did you think? :)


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you to AdamaGirl, Berenakiss2, jacilenemns and the four guests for reviewing, your support means a lot and encourages me to keep writing!

Sorry this chapter is late, but a bit over a week ago, I realised I had a big exam on the 18th of December, and threw myself into studying since I felt behind, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with the material now, but am planning to focus on it over the next two weeks, and post the next chapter on Christmas Day as a present to you all :)

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _of August_

"Shhh" Katie told James, who began to cry after waking up from his nap in his bouncer.

"Mommy, babies noisy" Katie complained, as she tried to continue playing with her dolls.

"I know sweetie, but they're just trying to tell us somethings wrong, and they don't know who to talk yet. In a few months they won't be crying so much" Laura replied finishing up breastfeeding Emma and placing her in the bassinet, as for some reason she would scream her lungs out if placed in the bouncer.

"Come here my handsome little guy, it's okay Mommy's got you" Laura said lifting James up and walking back over to the couch, before beginning to feed him.

"I come help" Katie stated after a few minutes, scrambling up onto the couch, and sitting next to her mother, while mimicking her position with the doll.

"Is your baby hungry too?" Laura asked smiling at Katie.

"Yep, and ah seee wants cookies" Katie replied giggling.

"Does she now, well it's lunchtime, maybe if she's a good girl and eats all of her sandwich we can find one for her" Laura said, "what do you want on your sandwich?"

"Ham and ceese peease" Katie replied climbing off the couch, and dragging her doll behind her on her way to the kitchen.

"Okay, just let me get the twins into the baby carrier" Laura said grabbing the baby carrier and slipping her arms through the holes, before securely fastening it around her waist, and picking up each baby, ensuring they were comfortably seated in the 'pouches'. They'd received the baby carrier as a present from Saul and Ellen, and had immediately put it to good use once the twins were born, as Laura quickly realised there was no way she could run around after an almost two year old, while having to keep a constant eye on the twins as well. So the carrier allowed her to strap the twins safely to her, and still complete all her normal activities, which included chasing a little girl to the kitchen.

"Where Eee, aak and Kawa?" Katie asked as she munched on her sandwich.

"Grandma took them to see the park remember?" Laura replied making sure they twins were settled, before sitting down, next to Katie at the table with her own sandwich.

"I go pak" Katie said enthusiastically.

"You said you didn't want to go, and you wanted to stay with here with Mommy" Laura replied running her hand over the little girls head.

"Oh otay" Katie said satisfied with the answer, already distracted by her food again.

* * *

At 3pm Laura heard a car pull into the driveway, and seconds later three boisterous children came rushing through the front door.

"How was the park?" Laura asked from where she was folding laundry in the living room, while keeping an eye on James and Katie who were staring up at her from where they lay nearby.

"Good, you should have seen how high I got on the swing Mom" Zak exclaimed excitedly.

"Some other kids brought a Frisbee, and they let us play too" Kara added happily.

"I threw it really far and we found it in a bush" Lee replied laughing.

"It sounds like you've had a wonderful time" Laura said smiling at the trio.

"Can we have a snack?" Lee asked, "I'm starving".

"Sure, you can all have an apple and a chocolate chip cookie, nothing more though, I don't want you filling up before dinner" Laura replied, giving them a look that told them shed know if they had more than that.

"Okay, thanks" Lee said before the trio ran to the kitchen.

"How are you doing?" Evelyn asked picking up James and sitting on the couch.

"Good the twins have been reasonably well behaved, and Katie's spent most of the afternoon playing in the living room, or chasing Husker around, before she went down for a nap" Laura replied sitting beside Evelyn.

"That's good, do you need help with anything?" Evelyn asked kindly.

"No, I was able to catch up on a bit without the oldest here today, and thank you again for offering to pick the kids up regularly" Laura said gratefully. School holidays ended this week and the kids would be back at school come Monday, but with a toddler and two infants to care for, it had become apparent the usual school pickup routine would have to change. So Evelyn had volunteered to begin picking the kids up from school of an afternoon, and either taking them to their respective extracurricular activities or home, while Bill would drop the kids off on his way to work in the morning.

"It's not a problem at all, I'm happy to do it, and it means I get to see my grandchildren all the time" Evelyn replied rocking James.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _August_

"Are you okay?" Bill asked Laura sleepily, as he blearily looked towards where she sat against the headboard of the bed, cradling a baby in her arms.

"Yeah, Emma wouldn't settle in the cradle, and I didn't want to her to wake James" Laura replied gently rocking the infant.

"You should've woken me" Bill said sitting up, "I could've helped settle her".

"It's okay, she's a bit clingy at the moment, I think she's just colic" Laura replied trying to get Emma to take the offered dummy.

"Do you want me to get anything?" Bill asked softly.

"Umm could you go and get some of the colic drops which are in the medicine cabinet downstairs" Laura said quietly.

"Sure, I'll be back shortly" Bill replied getting out of bed.

"Your okay sweet pea" Laura told Emma rubbing her back soothingly, "Daddy's going to get something to hopefully make you feel better". Emma continued to cry and fuss in her mother's arms, while Laura attempted to see if the little girl wanted to feed again, until Bill returned with the drops.

"Here we go, hopefully this helps, I checked on the kids while I was up as well and they're all still sound asleep" Bill said handing Laura the drops.

Twenty minutes later Emma seemed to have calmed down and she let out a large burp and some spit, luckily Laura had seen this coming though and was prepared. It only took a few minutes after this to settle Emma back in her cot and for the two exhausted parents to fall back asleep.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Bill asked Laura when she made her way into the kitchen, later that morning.

"Alright, Emma and James just went down, and have been changed and fed. Where are the kids?" Laura replied sitting down at the kitchen table, and notcing only Katie sat nearby playing with her stacking cups.

"Thanks" she added gratefully taking the plate of poached eggs and toast Bill passed her, along with a glass of orange juice.

"They're running around outside, the boys were super hyper after breakfast, I probably shouldn't have let them have two glasses of juice, so I sent them all outside with husker and a pyramid ball to run off some energy" Bill said chuckling as he sat down next to her with a mug of coffee.

"Well at least you had the forethought to send them outside, and the weatherman said it was going to get to 95 degrees around midday, so it's probably good that they get some fresh air now" Laura replied taking a sip from her orange juice.

"Yeah seems like it will be a good day to stay inside and relax" Bill said retrieving Katies fallen stacking cups, "and before you ask yes I put sunscreen om them and made them wear hats".

"I wasn't going to say anything" Laura replied guiltly, just as the couple heard a wail come through the baby monitor.

"I'll get it, you relax and finish your breakfast" Bill said kissing the top of her heard and heading towards the stairs.

"You've got a good Daddy" Laura told Katie smiling.

"Dada" Katie said excitedly, looking around for him.

"He'll be back soon pumpkin" Laura replied lifting Katie onto her lap and continuing to eat her breakfast.

* * *

"It's 3pm Mommy, you said we could get out the slip and slide, and the little pool at three" Zak said running into the study where she was finishing off some paperwork for the bookstore.

"Okay go get you Dad, and tell him to set it all up, then go and get changed into your swimmers" Laura replied getting up from the desk. The kids had pleaded with her at lunch to let them go outside, however Laura had told them they needed to wait until the temperature had dropped and the sun wasn't shining directly overhead. When Lee asked when that would be, Laura had randomly thrown out 3pm, which of course led to the kids asking as soon as the clock struck three.

Sighing Laura made her way up the stairs and walked into Katie's room to find the little girl just waking up from her nap, "Daddy's going to get the pool ready, do you want to come swim?" Laura asked lifting her out of the cot.

"Ya" Katie replied sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

"Okay, well you have to be a good girl and let me put your swimsuit on" Laura said placing her atop the changing table. They'd had trouble recently with getting her to a) keep her clothes on and/or b) refusing to wear clothes all together.

30 minutes later, Laura had changed into her own swimsuit and was sitting in the under the sea themed inflatable canopy pool, Emma and James in her arms, while Katie splashed around happily.

"Okay, you can use the slide now" Bill said turning on the tap, so water began sprinkling over the soaped up slide and attached inflatable ramp.

"Me first" Zak replied climbing up onto the top of the ramp and diving down, screaming in excitement, "that was awesome".

"My turn" Lee said racing up and launching himself down the slide.

"Careful" Laura called her motherly instincts kicking in, as she imagined the kids going too far/fast and slamming into the grass head first.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine, the slides so long that they always stop at about the end" Bill said reassuringly.

"I know, but I'd prefer they didn't turn up to their first day of school for the new school year covered in bruises" Laura replied concerned.

"It's okay, I'll make sure that doesn't happen" Bill said leaning under the canopy of the kiddy pool to kiss the top of Laura's head, before kissing the twins and Katie's heads too.

"I'm holding you to that" Laura replied, smiling despite her worry at the sight of the kids beaming faces, as they played on the slide, and Katie who was happily playing with her toy boat and sea animals, even the twins didn't seem to mind the water too much.

* * *

Please review, it motivates me so much to continue writing!


	21. Chapter 21

Thank you to M6ur33n, walkerdude1, jacilenemns and the guest for reviewing, it means so mucht that you take the time out to review!

Here's your Christmas Day/Boxing Day present from me to you all :)

Chapter rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

 _13_ _th_ _August_

 _The tropical low is now a category one cyclone named Deanne, the system is expected to intensify over the next couple of days, as it heads towards land, and makes landfall around 50km north of Caprica City late afternoon on Thursday as a category four system. We're expecting to see around 1,000m of rain and winds of up to 215km near the eye of the storm which is expected to span 52km._

"Well it looks like we're going to be in for an interesting few days, we'll have to get the laundry set up, as it's the only room that has completely reinforced concrete walls and a roof" Bill said switching the news off.

"Yeah, I'll head to the supermarket tomorrow morning to pick up some more water and canned goods. I guess the schools will be making an announcement too tomorrow about attendance" Laura replied running through a checklist in her head.

"Sounds good, I guess we should tell the kids when the wake up in the morning, I don't want them to worry about it too much though" Bill said knowing these kinds of big storms, could be quite scary for young children.

"Me either, but they'll feel okay if we're calm" Laura replied reassuringly.

"Come on we better get to bed, sounds like we'll have a big day ahead of us" Bill added helping Laura off the couch and picking up the baby monitor.

"Okay, the twins will probably wake for their next feeding soon anyway" Laura replied following Bill up the stairs.

* * *

 _14th August_

"I've got good and bad news for you three, the school just emailed and said class is still on today, but the school will be closed for the rest of the week after that" Laura said walking into the kitchen, where everyone but the twins was eating breakfast.

"Dammit" Zak replied sighing.

"Zachary, language" Bill said giving his son a pointed glare.

"Sorry" Zak replied sheepishly.

"So that means you all need to get a move on, so you're not late" Laura said seriously, while looking at the children with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay" the trio sighed, shoveling down the rest lf their breakfast, before running upstairs to get changed.

* * *

"How did you go at the shops?" Bill asked that evening, as the couple prepared dinner.

"Good, I was able to get a couple packets of AA batteries, as well as 10 cans of baked beans, they didn't have any of Zak's favourite kind though, oh an I also got 8L of bottled water, so that plus the bathtub filled up should cover our water consumption for a few days" Laura replied placing potatoes in the oven.

"Good, I know a few people at work were saying all the shelves were pretty much empty, when they tried to go to the store at lunch. Luckily I also got some fuel after I dropped the kids off at school, because I heard on the radio, that this afternoon there were huge queues at every gas station" Bill said checking on the chicken and vegetable casserole.

"Yeah Ellen called this afternoon and said it was chaotic when she went to get some long life milk" Laura replied walking over to Bill and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I haven't spoken to Saul yet, did Ellen say what they were doing during the cyclone?" Bill asked running his hands through her hair.

"They're going to drive to Ellen's parents place and stay there for a couple days. They were going to leave early tomorrow morning though, since it's a five hour drive and they didn't want to be on the roads come afternoon" Laura replied resting her head against his chest.

"That's good, I'll have to give Saul a call before we go to bed, just to make sure he doesn't need any help" Bill said before kissing the top of her head.

"Sounds like a good idea. I hope the twins and Katie don't get to upset during the cyclone" Laura replied grimacing, "three crying toddlers/infants would be a nightmare".

"Oh that reminds me, when I was at the gas station, they had these construction type headphones for children. I don't know how well they'll work, but I grabbed three pairs, and they're adjustable, so we should be able to get them to fit the twins" Bill said smiling.

"Definitely worth a shot, it would be good if we could get the kids to sleep most of the storm" Laura replied kissing him softly.

* * *

 _15th August_

"Where have all the birds gone, I can't hear them outside?" Kara asked as she helped Laura pick up the toys scattered over the backyard.

"They must know the cyclone is coming and have gone to a place where they can be safe" Laura replied collecting the multitude of pyramid balls strewn around the garden.

"Oh, I hope they're not scared and the Mommy and Daddy birds have found them all a nice place to stay" Kara said as she grabbed the last of the sand pit toys.

"I'm sure they have" Laura replied walking over to Kara and kissing the top of her head, "come on let's go and put these all inside, then we can check how the boys are going with the laundry".

"Okay, hopefully they brought down my triad cards, I told Daddy three times to make sure he understood" Kara said seriously.

"Well they might not have got them down yet, they have a big job ahead of them setting up the laundry for us all, but we'll make sure they're in there by the time we bunker down" Laura replied rubbing the young girl's back softly.

* * *

 _16th August_

24 hours later wind and rain began pounding against their house and the power started to flicker on and off, however they were all comfortable, which was something. With a little bit of force and luck they'd managed to fit two single mattresses in the laundry, so Kara, Lee and Zak had made themselves comfortable one one, while Laura, Bill, Katie and the twins were settled on the other.

"How about we play a board game?" Laura suggested as the kids became restless, and she sifted a sleeping Emma in her lap. It turns out the headphones Bill had purchased worked quite well, and had allowed the twins and Katie to fall asleep without too much trouble.

"Yes, we could play the bucaneer monopoly I got for my birthday" Lee said scrambling up from the ground and over to the stack of items they'd placed in the laundry to keep everyone occupied.

"Yeah I haven't played that yet" Bill added enthusiastically, trying to cheer the children up. Although this wasn't the first cyclone the kids had been through, this was the first cyclone they remembered, so he and Laura were keen to distract the kids as much as possible from the sound of the howling wind and pouring rain.

"I'll set it up" Lee replied pulling all of the pieces out of the box and placing them between everybody.

"I pway too" Katie said sitting in Bill's lap.

"How about you and I play as a team" Bill offered, knowing the little girl had no concept of the game.

"Otay" Katie replied happily, picking up the paper money Lee placed in front of her.

* * *

 _17th August_

"You all have to stay in the car" Bill said as the family pulled out of their driveway the next day, and went to survey the damage Deanne had done to the neighbouring surroundings. Luckily it seemed apart from a large amout of debris there wasnt any water or physical damange to the houses in their street, however as they ventured further out of their immediate surroundings and towards the flood plains, they began to see large piles of damage goods on the curbs outside houses, most of which from the looks of the water line were due to flood damage.

"Wow, there's so much stuff on the ground" Zak commented looking at the foliage strewn over the road and sidewalk.

"There is, these people weren't as lucky as we were" Laura replied thankful the only major effects of the cyclone on them, were a loss of power and a massive cleanup needed in their yard.

"Well maybe Dad, Kara, Zak and I could come down and offer to help these people clean up" Lee offered kindly, "I'd say Katie and the twins too, but they'd just get in the wat".

"I Atie" Katie added smiling proudly at the sound of her name.

"Yes you are" Laura replied chuckling, "that's a great idea Lee, I'm proud of you for thinking of that".

"Yes that's a wonderful idea, we'll come down tomorrow and see how we can help" Bill said smiling at the kids through the rear view mirror, he was immensely proud of the young man his oldest son was slowly becoming.

* * *

Please Review!


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